Fake It Good
by YumKiwiDelicious
Summary: "I thought he only came for the Riverton Seven," I challenged rocking back on my heels. "He can kill anyone he wants, Hayley, he's the ripper!" I snickered until I felt a tap on my shoulder. "And he'll be coming for you, Hayley Snow."
1. Fear ye The Ripper?

_Fear ye the ripper!_

"No!" I screamed sitting straight up in bed. I struggled to free myself from my sheets, winding myself on the floor in a sweaty heap. I panted, heals of my hands pressed tightly against my eyes. "Just a dream, just a dream," I whispered over and over again, knocking my head on my hard wood floor to further wake me up.

It'd been this way for the last three weeks. Ever since the Riverton Seven's birthday had begun leering over the not so distant horizon, I'd been having vivid nightmares. They were always the same, with Abel Plankov coming out from the darkness and slashing me to pieces. It seemed so real; I could almost feel the knife cutting me open. I woke up screaming every night. It wasn't doing me any favors.

Pushing myself up onto my elbows, I turned to check my nightstand clock. 11:33pm, nearly midnight. With a groan, I tossed my sheets away from me, revealing the skinny jeans and black t-shirt I had gone to bed in. I wasn't about to miss out on the kickoff of Ripper Day no matter how bad my night terrors got. Alex and Bug were counting on me. This year was bound to be big.

Pulling myself to my feet, I rushed to slip into my flats and yank on the black hoodie my boyfriend had given me. As I slipped my arm through the sleeve, I accidently knocked over my cordless phone and it clattered noisily to the floor. I winced, turning my eyes to the crack between my bedroom door and the floor. I waited, holding my breath, for a good minute, but nothing happened. The hall light didn't go on. I hadn't woken my mother up.

I sighed in relief before zipping the hoodie up all the way. Crossing back over to stand next to my bed, I leaned over, pushing my window up and open. I turned to the full length mirror hung on the back of my bedroom door before sticking a leg out. The hoodie hung down to my knees and when I pulled the hood up, it completely covered my royal purple dyed hair. I looked like a common hooligan and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

With a huff, I pitched myself out of my window and reached out to grab the branch that protruded from the tree in our backyard. Stepping lightly, I curled myself around the branch and began the long shimmy downwards. I hissed as my wrists were rubbed raw by the bark but continued on. Before too long I letting myself drop the last two feet to the damp, leafy ground. Glancing back up at my window, I cursed myself for not remembering to close it. It looked like rain and my pillow would end up soaked.

With an aggravated shrug, I shoved my hands into my pockets and began the short walk to the old ambulance. The gory story of Abel Plankov had come to an inferno-esque end only a ten minute walk from my house sixteen years ago tonight. Unlike the rest of the town, my mom was unconcerned about the danger of the Ripper and was out that night cavorting with the lower scum of Riverton. Nine months later I was born.

I was not an official "member" of the Riverton Seven, I wasn't even in the same grade, but I was still included in things like Ripper night. I'd walked this same path for the last two years, having finally qualified to go to the yearly ritual when I was thirteen. I stepped over toppled trees and ducked beneath low branches without even having to think about it. I was on autopilot. I could make it there with my eyes closed.

I stopped short as I reached a road. I turned my head, checking both directions, but not with the excuse of not wanting to get run down. This night every year was notorious for gatherings like ours and the cops had really started to crack down hard on Ripper Night. They had never busted it up before the chosen of the seven 'killed' the Ripper though. I supposed that was a good thing. Jay Chan –one of the seven- had told me that if the puppet Ripper wasn't killed every year, his spirit would come back to kill them all and then some. Frankly his stories gave me goose bumps and I was just glad that this year he was making the puppet instead of standing nearby spewing his wild lies.

When I decided the coast was clear, I jogged across the road and turned to start following it down to where the Ripper had made his last stand. It wasn't as if I actually believed Jay's stories, or even Jerome's –he liked to put in his two cents to scare every now and again- it was just that they made me uneasy. I wasn't afraid of the Ripper. At least that's what I told myself and everyone else. Abel Plankov was dead and gone and there was nothing to remind anyone of him except for nights like these. Nights like these…and Bug.

I perked up as I noticed a faint glow in the distance. Almost simultaneously I picked up the chatter of the general population of our small town high school. Smirking, I picked up my pace into a brisk jog and over took the party in a relatively short time. The glow had been coming from a hundred or so candles that were set and lit on the old shell of the ambulance that had carried Plankov. I nodded appreciatively at this, it was a nice touch. Glancing around quickly I decided that this had to be the biggest turn out we'd ever had. Brandon was getting very boastful.

I wisped my way through the small but dense crowd, smiling as I passed Penelope. She returned the gesture, nodding politely before letting her gaze wonder off to something only she could see. She was probably talking to God. I shook my head. Penelope could be pretty alright but sometimes her obsession with her religion made it hard to relate to her. Shaking my head one last time I turned and searched each face I passed expectantly. It was almost midnight.

I blinked in surprise as I felt someone yank my hood back from my head. Before I could turn, a pair of arms snaked around my middle and a pointed chin was digging slightly into my shoulder.

"Fear ye the ripper?" my boyfriend, Alex Dunkelman, growled into my ear playfully. With a scoff, I pushed away from him, turning so that we were eye to eye.

"Never," I laughed defiantly, poking him square in the chest. I noticed that he winced but didn't mention it in order to save his pride. Brown eyes sparkling with mischief, he grabbed my hand and pulled me against his chest.

"You sure about that?" he asked, his voice back to normal as he quirked an eyebrow at me. I took my bottom lip between my teeth and let my eyes roll up as if I were really thinking on it.

"Um…" He smiled at my charade. "Yes!" With a playful glare, he flicked my nose in warning.

"Well then you better watch your back for the next twenty-four hours," he said, stepping forward slightly so that I had to back up to keep him from stepping on me. "Because he'll be coming for you non-believers."

"I thought he only came for the Riverton Seven," I challenged, rocking back on my heels slightly but not moving from his grasp. He rolled his eyes as if exasperated.

"He can kill anyone he wants, Hayley," he huffed, his arms dropping from my hips and waving beside his head. "He's the Ripper!" I snickered before I felt a light tap on my shoulder and turned around.

"And he'll be coming for _you,_ Hayley Snow," said Jerome King, managing to point his finger right between my eyes without the gift of site. I laughed, pulling him forward by his sleeve to wrap him into a hug. After Bug, Jerome was my favorite of Alex's friends. Jay and I often had problems based around the fact that he was always trying to scare me.

"How's it going, guys?" Alex asked, slinging his arm over my shoulder as I pulled away from Jerome. I waved at Jay from where he stood slightly behind the blind teen.

"It's going," the Asian boy nodded. "Are you all ready for my Ripper puppet this year?" he asked, excitement practically seeping from his pores. I nodded along with Alex just as Brandon O'Neil –the self-proclaimed _head_ of the Seven- jumped up in front of everyone. I glanced around quickly, noticing for the first time that Bug wasn't here yet. Alex squeezed my shoulder and smiled down at me.

"He'll be here," he whispered.

Brandon started us all off on the annual countdown to midnight. I laughed as Alex bounced at every number until twelve and then we all cheered. Brandon, up from his place on a log turned to look across the river at the center of town.

"And the lights," he began , pointing. The lights shut down all together and we cheered again, Jerome reaching out to shake my wrist. "Are out!" I clapped along with everyone else, again briefly wondering when Bug would show up. Turning my face up to look at Alex, I smiled as he planted a short kiss on my lips just before Brandon started to address us. "Alright! Now as you all know, Ripper Day represents two things, one of them bad one of them good." He held up two fingers and we all nodded in agreement. This was the usual speech.

"The good part is, it's the birthday of seven of us here." The Seven minus Bug and Penelope all bristled in excitement. "Born sixteen years ago tonight." I nodded, winking at Jay as he shot me a thumbs up.

"Jerome King, hey Jerome," Brandon said pointing. Everyone applauded and I along with Jerome's sister threw in a whistle.

"Alex Dunkelmen," Brandon said next. Alex lifted in his hand in acknowledgment as I rubbed my face against his chest. Again he winced slightly so I pulled away as Brandon continued.

"Jay Chan, our new Ripper puppet for tonight." There was a louder applause here as everyone loved the Ripper puppet the most. It was the entire point of the evening. Jay beamed as Alex reached over and slapped him on the back.

"Bug Hellermen." Silence. We all looked around but Bug had yet to show his face. "Hellermen?" there was a rustling from behind the crowd and Bug appeared from the trees. I breathed a sigh of relief as everyone laughed when Brandon made a jab at the blonde haired boy. He looked worn out, dark circles noticeable under his eyes and his hair disheveled. Alex smiled at him, making room for him in the circle and asking where he'd been.

"Sleeping," Bug answered, his voice carrying its usual airy tone. "Hey, Hayley," he said, nodding down at me. I smiled my greeting, not bothering to wave as my hands had found their way into Alex's coat pockets.

"Bug takes a little longer cause he's a little slower," Brandon said condescendingly, making our classmates chuckle. Bug looked stricken and I felt for him. Everyone liked to tease him about that fact that he wasn't entirely as smart as the rest of us. Something about a complication at birth; it was harder for him to learn than it was for the rest of us. Brandon liked to pick on this fact.

He moved on then to introduce Penelope. I frowned as he of course attacked her beliefs in front of everyone, leaving her too looking troubled. I watched as her eyes darted around our party, stopping multiple times on Bug. I think I was the only one she'd ever told about her crush on him. Not that it wasn't obvious of course. It killed me that he had a thing for Brittany Cunnigham, whom Brandon had just introduced.

"And last, but definitely not least," the jock let the sentence hang and all the little groupies shouted out his name as he made a show of flashing his varsity jacket. "Yes, yes, thank you." I rolled my eyes as Alex just snickered.

"Now, it's time for the bad part, people," O'neil went on, his voice turning as serious as he could probably get. "We of the Riverton Seven have had to share our birthday with a monster." I winced, not daring to glance at Bug as Alex tightened his grip around me. "Abel Plankov who died at midnight the night we were born. The Ripper." A murmur went up through the crowd as if we all hadn't heard this story a million times. "Legend has it that we, the Riverton Seven, our the mirrors of Abel Plankov's personalities. The ones that turned the Ripper in and that the Ripper still wants revenge on."

Alex looked at Bug then, smirking deviously and I poked his side. He and I were the only ones that knew the truth about Able Plankov. At least the only teens. It'd been decided when we were younger that all the adults should know, but would forever keep Bug's parentage from him. Alex had only been told two years ago when his mother died. He'd shared it with me and we'd never spoken of it again. It hurt me to keep something like that from him, but Bug was just too innocent. Information like that could drive him insane.

"Abel Plankov is dead," Brandon went on, redrawing my attention. "But his ghost isn't…and now it lurks under the old railroad bridge, you've all seen it." It had gone eerily quiet and I hugged myself even closer to Alex. I hated this part of the story. "It sleeps in the river. It roams the darkest corner of the woods, just waiting for the next Ripper Day to come around. Cause on that day, _our_ birthday –_tonight_- the devil has told him that he can take his revenge." Alex jostled me slightly at that point, smiling as I frowned at the scary story.

"_But_," Brandon said, raising his voice. "He can only come out of the river at _this spot_." He turned to point at the muddy bank where the Ripper had supposedly escaped all those years ago. "And every year since we have been able, one of us Riverton Seven has volunteered to drive him back into the river where he belongs. And tonight is no exception!" The crowd had gotten a bit rowdy again and was starting to shout encouragement on to the Seven

"And I personally," Brandon continued, raising his hand. "Have chosen to volunteer…to volunteer Bug Hellermen that is." My heart dropped into my stomach as his arm swung down to point at Bug. "It's your turn, Bug, the rest of us have done it!"

Bug looked like a ghost he had gone so pale. I knew he wouldn't be able to handle something like this, he was too sensitive. But what Brandon had said was true. I hadn't been included back when Alex had had his turn to kill the Ripper, but I knew him and the others, including Jerome, had already done it. It was Bug's turn this year, and if he refused it wouldn't be fair to everyone else. Plus it was bad luck based purely off superstition. I knew he was scared but it was only a puppet after all.

"Now we must all summon the Ripper from the river and if he appears-" Brandon pointed. "Bug must slay him, or we'll all die!" This caused uproar in the crowd and everyone began shouting taunts at Bug. I looked up at Alex, but he was watching Brandon who had turned to the river now. "IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, RIPPER_ - MAKE YOURSELVE KNOWN!_"

"_MAKE YOURSELVE KNOWN!_" everyone began chanting. Bug looked about ready to faint and I discreetly stepped on Alex's foot to make him stop from joining in. He frowned at me before turning to Bug and going still. "_MAKE YOURSELF KNOWN!"_

"I don't think Bug can do this," I whispered to Alex as he eyed Bug up and down.

"He has to, it's a tradition," he murmured, rubbing circles in my back. I rolled my eyes at this excuse, but he just met them seriously. "He's gotta be a man about it."

"FEAR YE THE RIPPER!" Brandon yelled over all of us.

"_FEAR YE THE RIPPER!"_ was the reply. Alex reached over to smack Jerome on the chest to stop him from shouting too.

"What'd I do?" the confused boy asked, rubbing his abused chest as Alex leaned towards him.

"Bug's freaking out," he confided as the mentioned boy shifted his weight nervously as if preparing to make a run for it. Reaching over, I squeezed his arm reassuringly. He turned to me, eyes wide in fear.

"_FEAR YE THE RIPPER!"_

"Don't worry, Bug," I said encouragingly. "It'll just be Jay's puppet, it can't-"

Before I could finish, there was a noise from the woods and everyone jumped. I turned quickly away from Bug to face the trees and stifled a gasp as "The Ripper" stepped out from the darkness…just like my nightmares. Despite what I'd just been about to tell Bug, fear struck itself deep within my chest. I back tracked quickly, hiding myself within the crowd as Alex drug his best friend forward.

"Come on, Bug," I heard him say, his hands gripping Bug's shoulders. "It's just a puppet, knock it over."

"_FEAR YE THE RIPPER!"_

I'd backed up far enough now that I was standing by Penelope. We glanced at each other momentarily before clasping hands. She was my only female friend in school as everyone else was run by Fang. I held my breath as Bug approached the puppet, everyone continuing to chant as it loomed over him. Jay had done a really impressive job unfortunately. The thing was completely terrifying.

"_FEAR YE THE RIPPER!"_

I winced as I saw Brandon shove Bug forward. He was literally shaking in his shoes and I was surprised he hadn't wet himself. Alex stood nearby trying to encourage him but it obviously wasn't working as Bug continued to back away from the skulking puppet. Suddenly he turned away from it completely and looked pleadingly at my boyfriend.

"I can't do this!" he cried, shaking his head as the puppet stalked closer behind him. My heart sank further and I felt Penelope grip my hand even tighter.

"But you must, or we'll all die!" Brandon ordered, laughing at the smaller boy's terror. Alex continued shouting for Bug not to be afraid and I found myself repeating him under my breath.

"Knock it over, Bug," I pleaded.

"_FEAR YE THE RIPPER!"_

Suddenly I felt Penelope whip her head around to look further up the road. I joined her, momentarily forgetting Bug's battle as we both moved over slightly only to see whirling red and blue lights approaching. A loud siren followed after. My eyes grew wide as the headlights flashed over my face and Penelope turned back to the gathering.

"COPS!"

At the mention the cops, there was an immediate panic and people scattered every which way. I barely got a chance to catch Penelope's nervous smile before she too fled the scene, disappearing from sight as she molded into the crowd. Since I was standing on a slight hill, I was able to see the Ripper puppet drop to the ground like the pile of fabric it was and sighed slightly in relief. It was done.

"_You're in violation of the Riverton midnight curfew!"_ I came back to myself as I heard the officer shouting over their microphone. _"Return to your homes immediately, or your parents will face prosecution!"_

Shaking myself I began to carefully but quickly descend into the crowd. People shoved pass, trying to get to where they had hidden their cars or just reach the tree line. My eyes streaked around searching for Alex just as a boy from my second period yelled "POLICE BRUTALITY!" It was getting a bit hectic and I started to worry that I'd get scooped up and driven home in a cop car.

Suddenly something slammed into me from behind. I would've fallen if not for the arm that wrapped around my waist and began hurrying me forward. "Come on, Hayley!" Alex hissed, running me over to Bug who stood waiting like a lost child as our classmates rushed by him to disappear into the woods.

"Let's go!" he said, pushing me on in front of him as he grabbed Bug by the collar. Looking over as we ran, I noticed Jay and Jerome catch up with us. The two of them appeared to be having a blast, running through the woods at midnight while possibly being pursued by cops. "Watch your feet, Jerome!"

Alex's warning came too late as the blind young man rammed into my side, causing me to crash into Bug. I pitched forward, falling on my face as Bug rolled down into the river. The other three doubled back, Alex pulling me up by my shoulders as Jay helped Bug up the bank. He hadn't gotten himself too wet thankfully and the guys seemed to be having fun laughing at him.

"I'm blind, Bug, not you!" Jerome joked as he steadied himself on a nearby tree. Sometimes I wondered where that boy left his walking stick. We all jogged along the bank then until we reached a log. I helped Jerome over before hopping it and flattening myself to the ground. Alex, Bug and Jay followed suite, each crouching down as we tried to quiet down. From here, the glow of the candles was still slightly visible over our hiding place.

"What the fuck was that, why did they stop us?" Alex asked as he peaked over the log. I pulled him down again by his collar as we heard one of the police officers start to address the area.

"Go home!" he shouted as we all glanced at each other. "Ripper Day is officially canceled!" It went quiet then and we all began to chuckle to ourselves. Alex stretched out next to me as Jay removed his jacket to give to Bug.

"Why so glum, chum?" he teased, tossing his jacket over Bug's wet shoulders. Turning away from Alex who had been nibbling on my ear, I noticed that Bug did look down and pushed myself up on my elbos.

"Bug?" I tested as Alex also sat up slightly to stare at his best friend. The young man glanced at us before focusing his eyes on his shoes.

"I failed," he said sadly.

"Why, because you couldn't kill him?" I asked only slightly confused. Yeah this whole thing was pretty scary and I was even having nightmares over it, but Bug didn't actually _believe_ it, did he?

"Now we're all gonna die and it's my fault," he said as if it were pure fact.

"Oh, Bug, no," I said, shaking my head. Sitting up completely, I vacated the spot between Alex and Jay. Scooting forward I sat in front of Bug. "None of that story is true."

"Yeah it's all just a bunch of bullshit Brandon made up," Alex agreed, leaning over me slightly. "If he was so worried about it, he would've killed it himself."

"That puppet was scary," Bug murmured, rapping his arms around his knees.

"The coat was creepy," Alex complimented, turning his attention to Jay who was practically glowing with pride at Bug's comment. "You added some moss and grass and shit right?"

"Yeah, man, he lived under the bridge for like sixteen years, he's prime evil, baby!" Jay said, turning to each of us in turn. I rolled my eyes. None of this was going to help Bug feel any better.

I crouched back on my haunches as the guys launched into an entire conversation surrounding the story of the Ripper. I really didn't need to hear it, but then again neither did Bug. I wondered briefly if his sister ever got scared on Ripper Day. I mean Plankov had tried to kill her too, before he himself was shot. Or at least that's what Mrs. Dunklemen had said. I wasn't part of Fang's group so I didn't know if she ever even spoke about it. As far as I knew, no one at school was even aware of her and Bug's relation.

"The Ripper's alive!" Bug's frightened question ripped me from my thoughts and I fell back on my bottom. "I thought you said he was just a ghost!" he went on looking at all of us in fear.

"No," Alex cut in, sounding annoyed with the others. "He's dead."

"Not necessarily," Jay cut in, wrapped up in the story. "Nobody ever found his body." Bug was back to looking ashen and I cut in before Jerome could add in his own comment.

"Knock it off you guys," I hissed. "You're scaring Bug!"

"I saw the way you ran from my puppet, Hayley," Jay whispered teasingly. "You know you fear the Ripper just as much as any of us, _especially _Bug."

"Leave her alone," Alex warned as I glared at Jay. Alex was the only one I'd told about my nightmares and he knew that his birthday made me nervous. Since we were thirteen he'd always told me I didn't need to come to the Ripper slayings but I'd insisted. Just like Bug, I didn't want people to think I was a coward.

"I'm just saying," Jay went on, pretty much ignoring Alex as he met my glare with a smirk. "Don't try to act like you're not afraid when you obviously are."

"Shut the fuck up," Alex hissed as he glanced over the log. We all fell quiet and I crawled back over between him and Jay on my belly as the glow from the candles started to dwindle. The police officers were ending the kickoff to Ripper Day.

"I gotta get home," Jay whispered when the cost was clear. As he started to straighten up he turned back to Alex and Bug. "Are you guys set for tomorrow?"

"For what?" Alex questioned, confused.

"The buzzard thing," Jay clarified making all of our mental light bulbs turn on.

"Condor," Bug and I corrected simultaneously. Apart from Alex, Bug was my best friend. He and I could talk for hours, which was rare for Bug. The thing he liked to talk about most though was of course the California Condor. At this point I probably knew as much about it as he did.

"Yeah we made a sock puppet," Alex sighed, rolling onto his back slightly. I choked back a laugh. They could be so lazy sometimes.

"You're gonna put your class to sleep," Jay chided, crouched down beside Jerome. "A good show and tell needs shock and awe."

"It's my fault," Bug concluded. "I was too scared about tonight to think about it." I straightened up so that I was seated leaned against the log. Alex followed and we both looked at Bug sympathetically. Sighing, Jay sat down again and put his hand on his birthday mate's shoulder.

"Listen, Bug," he said lowly. "I'm scared of the Ripper too."

"You are?" Bug asked about as surprised as I was. I turned to Alex with an eyebrow raised and he just shrugged, moving his arm to rest over my shoulder.

"I have to cross that bridge twice a day," Jay continued talking about the railroad Brandon had mentioned. "I just do what my grandma taught me. Spit in the river. And he won't come after me."

"That works?" Bug asked, eyes wide as if he were learning the secret of life. Reaching out I pet the back of his head lightly. He was so innocent. I let my arm drop and cuddled closer to Alex. It was getting late.

"Yeah for sixteen years," Jay finished, squeezing Bug's shoulder. "See ya." With that he returned to his feet and snuck away through the brush. Glancing at the dark sky I patted Alex's chest and moved into a crouching position.

"I gotta get going too," I said, glancing quickly over the log to make sure the cops weren't turned our way. Alex leaned forward pulling me into a kiss. I cupped his slender face, pulling away with a smile on my own.

"Love you," he whispered, tugging on the end of a strand of my hair affectionately. I beamed, leaning forward to kiss his cheek.

"You too," I murmured, before turning and waving quickly at Bug. As I passed Jerome I squeezed his shoulder in parting. Then pulling my hood over my head, I set out at a jog straight into the darkness, faking that I wasn't afraid.


	2. Fake it good

_Hayley!_

"Wake up!"

I gasped as the deep, rasping voice of the Ripper turned into the screeching voice of my mother. I barely had time to rub the sleep from my eyes before her hand was fisted in my hair. I cried out as she dragged me from my bed to let me fall on the floor. With a groan I turned over to look up at her.

"Get your lazy ass to school!" she spat, aiming a swift kick at my thigh. I winced as she turned and stomped away, her red hair swinging across her shoulders. I waited until I heard her bedroom door slam before picking myself up off the floor. I limped slightly as I could feel the muscle in my thigh starting to bruise.

It had always been like this. My mother, Helen Snow, hadn't wanted to have me but there's not much hope for remaining childless when you engage in unprotected sex. I was the burden she couldn't get rid of and she reminded me of that every day. I had no idea who my father was but then again neither did she. We were stuck with each other until I went off to college. _If_ I went off to college that is.

As I shuffled over to my closet to grab some jeans, I thought about my last fifteen years of life. Helen never really felt like taking care of me so I was very independent. I knew how to cook my own meals at eleven and how to iron my own clothes at twelve. I was always doing for myself and for a while that was how I like it. That was until I met the Riverton Seven of course. We'd somehow all ended up at the same junior high and that's where I'd met Alex, Bug and Jerome. They were the only ones that were nice to me and we made fast friends.

Alex had been my best friend however. It was as if before I'd even told him, he knew exactly what my life was like. His was pretty much the same of course so I guess it really does take one to know one. We'd started going out in his eighth grade year -my seventh- and that was the first year I was invited to go to the Ripper slaying. He'd told me he loved me for the first time just this past summer. It was easily the best day of my life.

And now here we were, the day of his sixteenth birthday and nothing had changed. He and I took care of each other now and only Bug knew about what when on inside our house. I trusted them both with my life and just wanted them to be safe today. Harnessing everything Penelope had ever blathered to me about God, I sent up a quick prayer asking for their safety along with the other Seven. You never could tell on days like these.

As I pulled a clean red tank top on over my head something hit my closed window with a light 'clink'. I walked over to it, kicking aside my wet clothes from last night before lifting the glass. Sticking my head out I saw Alex and Bug waiting for me with a large duffle bag set between. I nodded at it, leaning my elbows on top of the sill.

"What's that?" I inquired, shooting Bug a short wave which he returned shyly.

"Sock puppet," Alex answered, smirking at me devilishly. I raised an eyebrow incredulously.

"On steroids?" For some reason this struck my boyfriend as extremely funny as he had to grab Bug's shoulder to support himself while laughing.

Shaking my head, I pulled back into my room, leaving my window wide open. Padding down the hallway on the top floor of my house, I hurried into the bathroom to brush my teeth and hair. When that was done I skidded back to my room, throwing on Alex's hoodie and grabbing some converse which I tossed out the window. Chewing on my pinky I searched my floor for socks when I noticed a dark figure standing in the corner.

"Jesus!" I hissed, jumping and placing a hand over my heart. Alex smirked and tossed me a rolled up pair of black ankle socks. "Don't do that," I warned, sitting at the edge of my bed to put the socks on. He joined me, lying back on my comforter.

"Eh, I like to see you jump," he teased, poking me in the back. I shifted uncomfortably. He'd poked an old bruise. He rested his hand -open palmed- over the spot and I heard him let out a breath through his teeth. It frustrated him that he couldn't do anything to help me. But really what was there to do anyway, it wasn't as if staying at his house would be any better.

"Happy birthday," I said, trying to distract him. He sat up quickly, making the bed rock as he leaned over to kiss my cheek. I giggled pushing him back slightly.

"Thank you, where's my present?" he demanded jokingly patting me down lightly as if searching for it. I scoffed, hopping off the bed so that I could reach into my open desk drawer a few feet away.

"Well if that's all I'm good for, here," I said feigning anger as I threw the small box into his lap. He picked it up smirking at me as he reached out and snagged my hand in his. I let him pull me between his legs and brought my forehead down to touch his when he had.

"You're good for way more than that," he said softly, locking eyes with me as my hair spilled down to cover our faces. "Today wouldn't mean anything to me without you." I smiled, a warm feeling filling me, starting at my toes and making its way all through my body. Kissing his nose lightly, I pulled away and bounced down on my bed.

"Alright," I huffed, rolling my eyes good-humoredly. "Hurry up and open your gift, Romeo." He reached over to squeeze my hand one more time. Again our eyes locked and I could see he meant everything he said. Leaning forward I kissed him sweetly before pulling back slightly. "_No_ day would mean anything to me without you," I assured him. "Now open the fucking gift."

He laughed at my use of his favorite words before looking down to crack open the small box. His face blanked for a moment before his eyes went wide. I bit my lip hoping he liked it. He plucked the ring from its velvet casing and stared at it. He blinked once before turning to look at me, his eyes almost disappearing into his hair line.

"It's uh – black plated titanium," I said nervously, fidgeting with my sleeve. "I figured it's not too girly or anything so…you don't have to wear it if you don't want-"

"Hayley, would you shut the fuck up," he all but growled, reaching out and pulling me into a fierce hug. I blinked in surprise before hugging him back. "Of course I'll wear it." He pulled away and immediately slipped the ring onto the third finger on his left hand. I blushed at this but just nodded encouragingly.

"I'm glad it fits," I mumbled as we both stood up from my bed. He smiled at me then pulling me forward into a kiss. I reached my arms up to rap around his neck and brush my fingers through his hair.

"I love you," he mumbled against my lips. I laughed into the kiss, pulling away to smile at him.

"I love you too," I said truthfully, reaching down to finger the bottom of his shirt. He chuckled at this and ruffled my hair. I winced as he brushed over the tender area where my mom had yanked on it. He pulled his hand back and we looked at each other blankly. There was nothing to be said on the matter.

"Ready to go?" he questioned, stepping around me to grab my bag off my computer chair. I nodded at him and he waved an arm towards the window. "Well then after you, m'lady."

I stepped over to the window, sticking one leg through as I felt Alex rest a hand on my back to steady me. Pulling my other leg through, I smiled at him before letting myself drop off the edge. Just like every other day, Bug was there to catch me at the bottom. I fell into his waiting arms and laughed as he struggled to support me.

"Happy birthday, Bug," I greeted lightly as he set me on my own feet. Bending over I snatched up my shoes and began hopping around trying to yank them on.

"Thanks, Hayley," I heard him mumble as I turned around to catch my backpack that Alex had tossed down. Swinging it onto my back gently, I waited with Bug until Alex slipped down the side of my house and picked up his own bag.

"Let's go," he said brightly, picking up one end of the giant duffle bag as Bug picked up the other. I walked ahead of them slightly, leading the way to our high school.

"Where'd you get that ring?" I heard Bug ask quietly. Glancing over my shoulder I shot Alex a grin as he told our friend not to worry about it. We carried on in silence after that, each of us lost in our own thoughts about the coming Ripper Day ahead.

"So seriously you guys," I said finally when we had just cleared the trees across from the school. "What's in the bag?"

Alex just laughed again as I turned to walk backwards in front of them. "You'll have to wait and see like everybody else."

As we reached the parking lot, Jerome showed up and joined our group. Just like with Alex and Bug, I wished him a happy birthday and asked if he'd heard Jay around. He hadn't. Suddenly there was a ringing from Bug's pocket and I raised a curious eyebrow.

"Don't tell me you finally got a cellphone," I teased as he fished around in his pocket while trying to support the 'sock puppet'. Reaching over I stuck my own hand into his pocket and pulled out the little orange phone. I showed it to Alex as he leaned over my shoulder curiously before handing it to Bug, already flipped open and turned to speaker.

I smiled at the short conversation Bug had with his mother. She was a kind woman and always willing to put me or Alex up for the night. And since she was a nurse she came in handy for the two of us. When the call was over, Alex took Bug's phone to turn it off for him. He made a comment about the size but I wasn't listening because I'd spotted Jerome's sister stomping towards us.

"Jerome," she barked, pushing Bug and Alex aside. She glared at me and I returned the favor as I stepped around her to follow the others.

"Catch you later, Jerome," Alex called, picking up my hand as we continued towards the main entrance. I felt bad for my friend. His sister was in league with Fang and so she was always trying to control what he did. I guess it was good because she kept him from getting pain dealt to him by Fang's lap dogs, but she never let him hang around us for too long either.

Speaking of the devil, I noticed her perched on a stone bench up the front stairs not far from us. She was of course surrounded by her lackeys and glaring daggers in our direction. I noticed Jerome's sister had joined them now and they all stood as we were stopped by the security guard, Jose.

"What is that?" he asked, gesturing to the large bag that Bug had moved to his back.

"Project for science class," Bug answered, moving the sack to the ground where he knew he would leave it. It was against the rules for students to carry contained objects over a certain size and weight onto school grounds. It'd be checked by security and then delivered to the classroom for them.

Jose took down the classroom and period and then sent us on our way. He was a pretty nice guy, though he was completely oblivious to Fang and her reign of terror. I was barely listening to Bug as he asked if Quint had given Alex anything for his birthday when I spotted Brittany Cunningham walking passed. I stopped short, squinting at her as Alex began to pester Bug.

"You should go over there and talk to her," he coached as the blonde haired girl stopped in front of Jose. I turned my head back towards them and sneered.

"I wouldn't if I were you, Bug, she's bad news, and totally under your sister's thumb." Bug looked crestfallen and I felt bad but I was only trying to protect him. Deep down I knew Brittany had a thing for him, but she would never stand up to Leigh Hellermen.

"Excuse me, Officer Ramirez," she was currently greeting Jose. "But Maria told me you know all about baseball?"

I raised a confused eyebrow. What could Brittany Cunningham possibly want to know about baseball? Suddenly I heard Alex mutter a quick 'uh oh' before I felt him grab my shoulder and push me towards the stairs. "Run, Hayley!"

Without question I took off towards the stairs as I heard him warn Bug that it was a distraction maneuver and urge him to head the opposite direction. By the time I reached the top step I heard Bug yelp in pain as no doubt Brandon delivered his orders for the day. I'd just spotted the person I was looking for when I heard Alex groan. Spinning around, I saw him fall to the ground at Brandon's feet.

"Alex!" I called without thinking. Brandon's head whipped around to look at me and I clamped my mouth shut. He smiled disgustingly before dropping a few warnings to his latest victims. I watched him step over Alex and start heading up the stairs towards me. Turning on my heel, I did like Alex had told me and ran. I could barely hear Alex now, thanking Brandon for the abuse as I reached my reason for coming up here.

"Penelope!" I huffed, grabbing her shoulder from where she was sitting on a stone bench near the school's entrance. She jumped, eyes flying open since I'd apparently startled her out of prayer. "Come quick, it's Bug!"

It wasn't a complete lie, but I knew the mention of Bug would make her move the fastest. I wasn't wrong. She immediately stood and stomped off to where I'd just come from, me hurrying along beside her. When we reached the top of the stairs I gasped as I saw Brandon reaching the bottom of the stairs more than likely going to hurt Alex more.

"Brandon O'Neil!" Penelope snapped, pointing an accusing finger at him as he turned in surprise. "Do not bring the wrath of Jehovah down upon you!" As she descended like one of God's own angels upon him, I rushed down the stairs and over to Alex, dropping to my knees beside him.

"Are you ok?" I asked in concern, helping him to sit up. He had his arm wrapped protectively over his stomach, and his face was screwed up in pain.

"I tell you to run and you come back with Penelope Bryte?" he huffed, trying to make a joke as I pulled his arm away from his body.

"I figured we needed an even better distraction maneuver than Brittany Cunningham," I mumbled, completely ignoring Penelope's tirade on Brandon as I rolled up my boyfriend's shirt. I gasped as I saw the deep purple bruise already beginning to spread over his gut. "Jesus, what'd he give you?"

"He said an it was an eight, but it felt more like a ten," he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut as I placed my hand over it.

"Well it looks more like a twenty," I growled as I noticed the edge of another bruise. Pulling up his shirt more I saw the ugly, yellowing, fist sized bruise on the right side of his rib cage. I glanced up at him.

"Birthday gift from Quint," he huffed, leaning forward to rest his elbow on his knees. Releasing his shirt from my hands, I curled into his side, laying my head on his shoulder lightly. Penelope had just finished her rant.

"When you least expect it, Dunkelmen," Brandon warned as he began to retreat from the area. My boyfriend simply flipped him off, eyes closing as he tried to breathe normally. Brandon's eyes fell on me and I tensed as he walked away with a smirk. He'd taken to staring at me the last few months, which was why Alex always had me run whenever he came to do Fang's work instead of staying nearby. Brandon could be…forceful

When he was gone, Penelope nodded at me before moving over to talk to Bug. I smiled at the back of her head. She was really sweet, and I would give almost anything for Bug to get his head out of the Brittany clouds and realize Penelope was perfect for him. As they began to chat quietly, I turned back to Alex to find him staring after Brandon.

"I don't like the way he looks at you," he muttered, letting his head fall to his chest. Reaching over I cupped his chin for a moment before wrapping my arms around his.

"Me either," I confided, resting my chin on his elbow. I saw him nod slightly and sighed. He didn't deserve this. I knew some people thought Alex was just some asshole but it was all just an act. A defense mechanism if you will. He was stronger than he looked and I was proud of him for that. Sometimes I wished Bug could be the same. "Maybe you should go to the nurse?"

"No," Alex snapped immediately, glaring at me from the corner of his eye. I nodded, shifting slightly so that I was seated similarly to him. He never wanted to go to the nurse for any of his bruises or cuts, but then again neither did I. He sighed as he saw my downcast expression, reaching over to pat my hand lightly. Looking back at him, I just shrugged, leaning forward slightly to kiss his ear. He hummed in content and I pulled away.

Looking up, I was just in time to see Penelope give Bug a short kiss. From the angle we were at though I couldn't tell if it was on the lips or not. When she pulled away she murmured something to him before looking down on me and Alex. "Rise up and gird your loins, Alex," she said with authority, causing him to squint up at her. "The end is near."

"Happy birthday, Penelope," I called to her retreating back as I stood and began to help Alex up. She turned to me, her fiery red hair catching the sunlight in a way my mother's never could. She really was like some sort of angel.

"Thank you, Hayley," she said sincerely, nodding at me. "You've always been a good friend." She turned and left then and I watched after her with concern. I couldn't help but feel like I'd never see her again.

With Bug's help, I was able to get Alex back on his feet and walking -with my help- towards the school. The bell had rung and we were some of the last people making it in. As we walked, Bug wondered aloud about Penelope's strange warning. He had relayed the whole thing to us and the feeling I'd had when she was walking away grew stronger.

"Why does Penelope always say stuff like that?" Bug aimed this question at me, looking down at me from where I walked perched under Alex's right arm. I just shrugged, not knowing what exactly he wanted to hear about the strange girl.

"Parallel universe maybe," Alex suggested, Brandon's attack obviously not having bruised his sarcasm.

"I don't understand her sometimes," Bug continued his lament as we passed through the doors. "I mean the way she said that-" Reaching out, he grabbed Alex's collar and yanked him back unexpectedly. I gasped as I toppled into his side. "_Pray for our souls, Bug, he's coming_..." I shrank away from him slightly as his face seemed to go completely blank and his voice raised quite a few pitches. I could tell Alex was creeped out too as Bug pulled away.

"What if she meant the Ripper?" he asked, voice back to normal and his eyes regaining their childish features. "I'm scared."

Alex looked down at me and I shrugged. I didn't know what to say to make Bug feel better. And even if I did, I definitely wasn't the person to say it. I was afraid of the Ripper too after all. We all were. Turning back to Bug, Alex moved his arm from around me and stood tall. "We're sixteen, Bug, like it or not, we're men now."

As he turned to start climbing the stairs Bug turned to me. He tilted his head as if asking if what Alex had said was true and I gave a complaint shrug. He would have to grow up at some point. I was still fifteen, a freshman, and a girl to boot. It was okay for me to be frightened, or at least that's what I told myself. Together we both started climbing the stairs as well.

"I don't feel like a man," he said worriedly to Alex's back.

"No man does," Alex assured him. "That's why you gotta fake it." I rolled my eyes at this. I knew exactly what he was getting at and it was not the kind of advice he should be giving Bug of all people.

"Fake being a man to be a man?" Bug asked, again looking at me to confirm my beau's words. This time I shook my head however.

"That's the way it works," Alex nodded as we came to the first landing. He stopped and turned to Bug then as I continued passed, brushing my hand over his shoulder as I went. "So you can't run, you gotta face your fear like a man."

"Even though I'm not a man?" I heard Bug ask as I continued to ascend the stairs slowly.

"_Because_ you're not a man," Alex corrected just as I reached the second floor. "Listen, the better you fake it, the better man you are."

"Don't listen to him, Bug," I warned, leaning over the guard rail to look down at them much like this morning. Alex looked up and waved me off as Bug simply blinked and turned back.

"Just fake it," he said like he was beginning to catch on.

"Fake it good," Alex confirmed, before shifting his weight. "Like if you're scared, act like you don't give a shit."

"Alex," I said warningly. He was beginning to cross the line that I felt comfortable with.

"Or if somebody hurts you," he went on ignoring me. "Say _'Thank you very much, that felt wonderful.'_."

"Alex!" I snapped now, gripping the railing as they both turned to look at me. Alex caught my expression and had the decency to look slightly ashamed but didn't Bug see it. Our friend looked at me in confusion moving as if to walk up towards me.

"What's the matter, Hayley?" he asked innocently. "I want to be a man."

I sighed, letting my head fall down to my chest. "You will be, Bug, on your own time though okay?" He cocked his head in confusion as I turned to face Alex who had begun to walk up the stairs. When he was right by me he stopped, facing the opposite direction as I hissed into his ear. "Bug is_ not_ like us, don't fill his head with that bullshit."

"He needs to learn to be a man," he grumbled back, not looking at me.

"Let him learn it from someone else," I argued, rubbing the back of my head distractedly as Bug joined us on the second floor landing. "I have to get to class," was my grumbled statement as I turned on my heel and stalked off down the empty hallway.

"Hayley?" I turned back to look at Bug. "Did I do something wrong?" Besides Alex there was almost nobody that could make me feel protective or territorial in any way. The protectiveness I felt over Jerome was brought on by his blindness and so it hardly counted. But with Bug it was different. He was so innocent that I just wanted to keep him from the horrible things that surrounded him, including mine and Alex's own influence. Today was no exception.

"No, Bug," I said firmly, glancing sideways at Alex. He stood straighter as I looked at him and I turned back to Bug. "It was us."

"Are you two fighting?" he asked, sounding more terrified than he had even when he'd thought the Ripper was still alive. I think he saw Alex and I as the perfect parent-esque he had never known. His eyes darted between us as I shook my head.

"Course not, buddy, don't be ridiculous," Alex boasted, coming over to slide his arm around my hip, faking that he was sure. "But you know, Hayley's right, you don't need to fake it."

"I don't?" Bug asked, sounding confused.

"No, Bug, you're doing just fine," I tried to pacify him.

"But how will I ever become a man?" he asked, eyes trained on Alex who in turn trained his eyes on me. I raised an eyebrow at him slightly and he turned back to Bug.

"You are a man," he said confidently, bringing us both forward to slap Bug on the shoulder.

"I am?"

"Abso-fucking-lutely, look at you," Alex went on, gesturing to Bug's at best lanky body. Reaching over, he slapped Bug lightly on the face. "You now have permission to shave." With that, Alex and I turned to walk down the hallway, leaving Bug standing near the stairs. "See you at lunch," Alex called over my head just before we rounded a corner. Once we were out of Bug's view, his arm slipped from my hips and he stared blankly at me.

I sighed, rubbing my temple as I felt a head ache start to form. "We're _not_ fighting, Alex."

"Aren't we?" he challenged, shrugging as if it didn't matter either way. This was his defense coming up. Anyone watching this would've thought he was an awful boyfriend, but I knew the truth. He was scared.

"No," I confirmed, turning to continue walking towards my first period.

"What was that back there?" he continued the conversation, walking slightly behind me now. I sighed, shaking my head as we stopped again.

"Look, Bug isn't like you and me, he hasn't had to put up with what we have," I whispered, hoping none of Fang's gang were lurking around.

"So what that means he's better than me?" Alex demanded, moving closer to me with his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Of course not!" I said immediately, hurt that he would even suggest that that was what I was implying. "But you can't just tell him to 'fake it'. He's too sensitive, he'll get hurt."

"Yeah well maybe he needs to get hurt," he grumbled, stepping around me looking grave.

"You don't mean that," I called to his retreating form. He stopped short and turned back to me. He looked more frustrated than usual and I immediately felt bad. He didn't need this, especially not today.

"Yeah and how would you know?" he challenged, rolling his eyes which were suspiciously glassy. Shaking my head, I approached him slowly, only stopping when I was practically standing on his toes.

Looking up at him, I took in his straight nose and deep eyes. I glanced at his hair, the black curls being moved by my very breath. "Because I love you," I clarified before leaning in to kiss the pulse in his neck. He shivered and I pulled away to find him looking far calmer. "And you're the only _man_ I need."


	3. The California Condor

Lunch time found Alex, Bug and I sitting outside under a tree in the school quad. I rested with my head in Alex's lap as he and Bug went over what they would be doing for their Biology presentation. Usually we all worked together on such things but this time I'd worked with Penelope and given a report on doves. I was pretty excited to see their California Condor.

"And so then I'll just puke all over O'Neil," Alex finished explaining the master plan to Bug, his hands running absently through my hair as Ii let my droopy eyes blink slowly. I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. "It's gonna be so fucking great."

"I don't know if you should puke on Brandon," Bug whispered, thinking I was asleep. Alex threw his hands up, bending his knees at the same time and causing my head to fall to the grass.

"Come on, Bug, this is our moment!" he exclaimed as I rolled to rest my head by the base of the tree. He touched my shoulder lightly once he'd calmed down and muttered a quick apology for throwing me off. I waved him away with a groan as he leaned down to kiss my ear.

"Well…I guess so," Bug conceded, giving in with minimal effort. I rolled onto my stomach and buried my head in my arms. Did these two ever stop talking?

"Yes! That's what I like to hear!" Alex cheered, lowering himself to my level and moving so that he was resting slightly on top of me. I huffed as his weight was placed over me.

"Ge'off, Alex," I mumbled into the sleeves of the hoodie he'd given me. "I'm sleeping."

"It's bad luck to take naps on Ripper Day," he warned in a sing-song voice, as he moved to press his lips to my neck. I swatted at him.

"It is?" Bug asked worriedly, not seeming to mind what we were up to. I rolled over with a sigh, elbowing Alex in the face gently as I looked up at Bug. He could be so gullible. It was endearing.

"No, Bug, it isn't," I assured as Alex came back to cover my body with his own again.

"Yeah, I just wanted you to get up," he laughed, kissing the side of my face. I rubbed my eyes tiredly, bending my legs at the knees to encircle him slightly.

"But I'm tired," I said through a yawn as his arms snaked around my back. I could feel us getting detention for PDA any moment now. The thought left my head slightly however as he ground his hips against mine. "Alex!"

"Yes?" he asked coyly, raising his head from my neck. I glared at him playfully, pushing myself up on my elbows.

"Seriously, we're in public, put it away," I laughed, faking that I hadn't been totally surprised by his movement and how it'd made me feel. He pouted, rolling off me as Bug cleared his throat awkwardly. He was pretty used to us, but sometimes Alex liked to push the envelope.

"You're no fun," he sighed, resting his hands over his chest. I just rolled my eyes and turned so that my back was to him and I was curled up facing Bug. Pulling up my hood, I feigned returning to my cat nap.

In actuality I just laid there playing possum while my mind reeled over what had happened. Despite how close we were, how long we'd been together, and Alex's seemingly piggish attitude, we'd never had sex. It wasn't that I was a prude or anything; it just never felt like the right time. Alex had never pressured me in any way and never even pretended to take it too far, but truth be told _I _was beginning to get slightly impatient. I mean, didn't he _want_ to do it?

We were young I guess but like Alex said, he and Bug were men now. Wasn't sex supposed to be the first thing on their agenda? I didn't want to ask for it and Alex get the wrong idea about me but really, it's perfectly natural. Or at least that's what all the sex ed teachers said. Lately I'd been getting a bit more bold with him and he with I, so when he'd just ground his hips into mind it caused an odd feeling to shoot through me. I'm smart enough to know it was the same feeling as when he said he loved me, but it was definitely something.

I was so wrapped up in my own dirty thoughts that I didn't even hear the bell ring. Alex had to shake me 'awake' before I snapped out of it and pulled myself to my feet, cheeks burning red. Alex tilted his head at me in amusement, waving Bug on ahead as he circled me slowly. He could always tell what I was thinking.

"Good dreams about me?" he asked, stepping up behind me and resting his chin over my shoulder. I snickered good-naturedly, reaching up to stroke the side of his face. He hummed and rested his hands at my waist.

"Very good dreams," I conceded, rubbing my cheek on his. He beamed at me, leaning over to plant a kiss on my temple before stepping forward again.

"That's what I like to hear," he growled, taking my hand in his as we started towards the building. It was time to see his and Bug's Condor presentation. We hurried through the quad, laughing to ourselves. Stepping into the air conditioned building was a relief for my flaming face and Alex hurried me along towards our Bio class.

When going into high school, I'd asked for a placement test and qualified for advanced classes. So even though I was only a freshman, I qualified for Alex and Bug's math and science classes. This was a relief to me since I hadn't bothered making friends with anyone in my grade since I was around twelve. I'd never needed to since I'd had Alex, Bug, Jerome and Jay. My eighth grade year after they'd all gone to hig school was hell. So I'd applied for advanced classes so that I wasn't alone all the time; science and math with Alex and Bug, and then my elective class with Jerome and Jay.

As we reached the classroom, Alex yanked the door open and waved me inside gallantly. I faked a curtsy before heading in and spotting Bug in his usual seat at the back of the class, I hurried over, careful to avoid Brandon's hand which was stretched out in front of his desk, I took my seat in front of Bug.

"This had better be an amazing project, Hellermen," I joked, turning to face him. Just as Alex slid into his seat, I noticed that Bug seemed to be in pain, his fingers pressed to his temples.

"Don't worry it will be," Alex promise, not noticing his friend's plight. I was about to say something but our teacher began speaking and I was forced to turn around. I just hoped Bug's migraine wasn't too severe.

He was prone to them, which was a worry. Alex had told me about how his father Abel had been diagnosed with split personalities and how a violent one was the one that went around killing all those young people. Supposedly things like frequent migraines were a warning sign for such diseases. That and severe memory loss. I was worried about Bug constantly. He was so strange with_out_ the murderer for a father.

I was brought back from my thoughts as Alex and Bug suddenly walked passed, each tapping my shoulder in turned. I guessed that they had been called on and sat up straighter. It was time to see this California Condor. "Good luck," I whispered so that only Alex heard as he passed. He smiled down at me, throwing in a playful wink for my benefit.

True to his word, Jose had had Bug's mysterious duffle bag delivered to the classroom and Alex grabbed it now, retreating to the corner to dig around inside it. I watched him curiously for a second before turning around in my seat to face Penelope. She had her eyes trained out the window however and she looked worried about something.

"Back From the Brink by Adam Hellermen and Alex Dunkelmen," I heard Bug mumble from the front of the class. Reluctantly I turned away from Penelope to give the two boys my undivided attention, sneering as Brandon said something nasty behind his hand. "Our subject today…is about a bird…"

I frowned as Bug continued to massage his temple, glancing down at Alex who had whispered something up at him. Mr. Kaiser leaned forward, asking him straight out if he was having a migraine which he denied, his arms going limp at his sides. He seemed to be lost in a trance before suddenly he snapped out of it and turned to face us.

"Our subject today is the largest bird in North America." We all jumped collectively at the change in his voice. He sounded like…a man. "Unchanged since the Pleistocene Epoch and only recently brought back from the brink of extinction. I present to you Gymnogyps californianus."

Alex swirled around then, dragging what looked to be a large feathery coat over his shoulders and flipping his head down so that a beak like helmet fell over his head. "The California Condor!" Alex stood straight now with a screech and spread out his 'wings' for us all to see. If anyone hadn't jumped before, they jumped now as the costume revealed itself to be what looked like an exact replica of a terrifying bird.

"Are you ready?" I ripped my eyes from Alex to see Bug staring right at me. I almost wanted to tell him to stop but restrained myself as he gripped Alex's feather covered shoulders. "Fly now!"

People cried out as Alex swooped down over the seats, his 'wings' dragging across peoples' heads even when they dove to avoid them. I barely even heard what Bug was saying as I gripped the edges of my desk agitatedly. For some reason, even though I knew it was just Alex under there, I was afraid. I leaned away as he 'flew' over me, avoiding looking into the mask. Straightening up I watched as Alex 'soared' through the room, until coming to rest beside Bug again, hunched over like a gargoyle.

I finally turned back to Bug who was busy talking about carrion. "A dead, _stinking_ body crawling with maggots is ice-cream to him!" I felt my stomach lurch as Mr. Kaiser interrupted Bug for his crudeness. As he turned back to our teacher, Bug was suddenly himself again, his timid voice returning as he assured Mr. Kaiser it was all for show. But then the _other_ voice was back and I was afraid again. "The California Condor can consume the carcass of a cow in one day."

"Bullshit," Brandon scoffed. The entire of the class gasped as the Alex Condor snapped it's head around to face the star athlete. Snapping forward, Alex forced peoples' desks back until he stood directly in front of Brandon, hovering over him like death itself.

"Stop," I whispered, under my breath. No one heard me.

"And if anyone tries to harm it," Bug continued, looking completely unlike himself as he stared warningly at Brandon. "If anyone so much as even _touches_ one of its feathers…_just one_…!"

We all watched with bated breath as Brandon reached out and plucked one of the feathers from the costume. I could feel my stomach drop dramatically as Brandon just scoffed. "What're you gonna do?" he asked my boyfriend. "You gonna bite me, asshole?"

The Alex Condor shook its head in the negative before the bottom half of the beak suddenly fell open and a thick, green slime sprayed from its mouth. The classroom was in shambles after that as a collective scream went up, even from me and everyone vacated their desks to avoid the 'vomit'. I stood slowly, in awe as Bug continued with his speech, looking delighted as Brandon tossed his desk aside and tackled Alex.

"STOP!" I screamed it this time, running forward as Brandon began beating on Alex who only laughed and grunted with every blow. I grabbed Brandon's fist as he pulled it back to strike again, crying for Bug –who was being held back by Mr. Kaiser- to stop the speech. "STOP IT!

Spinning around, Brandon shoved me roughly off him causing me to slip in the imitation vomit. I fell back with a scream, hitting my head roughly on a desk that had been pushed out its usual spot. I saw stars as I landed hard on my side and groaned in pain, tears springing to my eyes.

"BOTTLE TWO, ALEX!" I heard Bug yell as I tried to push myself up on my palms. There was a squirting noise and another cry went up in the classroom. A pair of hands rested on my shoulders and I looked up to find Penelope crouched in front of me looking frightened. "And that is why no one should ever mess with the California Condor!"

I turned in time to see Brandon get one last kick in with Alex before being dragged off of him by Mr. Kaiser. "Thank you, Brandon, that felt so good!" More tears started to well in my eyes at Alex's words. What did he think he was doing? Did he like getting hurt, was that it? I reached up a hand to touch to back of my head and gasped as I felt a warm liquid seeping through my hair. Bringing my hand back, Penelope paled at the sight of blood.

"Alex and I would like to thank you all your kind attention," Bug concluded as Penelope helped me into a sitting position. Turning my head, I noticed him start gagging and Mr. Kaiser rushing behind his desk to grab a hall pass. He practically ordered him out, Alex following with his eyes, before leaning against the desk. The door had just shut behind Bug when he noticed me with my bloodied hand held out in front of me and the other pressed to the back of my head.

"Hayley, are you alright?" he asked alarmed, hurrying over and trying to avoid the vomit and whatever the other brown liquid was. His question seemed to alert Alex for the first time that I had been trying to pry Brandon off him. When he saw the teacher hunched down examining the back of my bloody head he went into full on panicked boyfriend mode.

"Is she ok? What the fuck happened?" he asked rushing over, the costumes feathers dragging over the soiled tile. "Hayley-"

"Take off that stupid fucking costume," I grit out as Mr. Kaiser helped me to my feet. The older man didn't even warn us about language as he helped me over to his desk where he quickly began writing an injury report to send me to the nurse with. Alex looked taken aback but still yanked the thing off, tossing it beside the desk. He quickly took me into his arms, leaning my head over his shoulder and straining his neck to see the base of my skull. I could feel him pushing aside my hair to get a better look at the back of my head.

"Oh fuck," he cursed as I buried my face in his shoulder so that I wouldn't start bawling. Why had they done that? I wrapped my arms around his middle, holding him tightly as I started to tear up.

"Penelope, please take Hayley to the nurses-"

"No!" Alex cut across Mr. Kaiser. "Please, sir, can I take her?" he begged cradling the back of my head in his hand lightly. I knew he must be really worried and desperate to take me because he never called any of his teachers sir or ma'am. The man seemed to think over it for a moment before deciding my blood loss wasn't worth the argument.

"Ok fine, but hurry," he said, passing the report to my boyfriend who actually gave a sincere 'thank you' before rushing me out the door. As soon as we were slightly away from the door I yanked away from him and buried my face in my hands.

"Why did you do that?" I whimpered, the pain in my head making me dizzy. Alex tried to hug me to him again but I resisted, pulling away.

"Hayley, I am _so sorry_," he said, sounding traumatized himself. "That was never supposed to-"

"My head hurts," I sniffled, unable to help it any longer as I began to cry openly. I was in a lot of pain.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Alex murmured again and again, pulling me back into his arms. I cried into his chest as he cradled my head again, his hand probably already smeared with blood. Hurrying now, he ushered me through the hallways, whispering heart felt apologies and shushing my cries until we reached the nurses office. When we finally did he yanked the door open, smearing my blood across the handle and ushered me inside. "Help! We need help!"

I usually would've laughed at his franticness but my head hurt too badly and as I lifted it up, I winced in the brightness of the office's lights. Almost immediately I heard the school nurse, who just so happened to be an old friend of Bug's mom, rushing over, recognizing me from my purple hair, though I was sure it probably looked nearly black from where she was standing.

"What did you _do _to her, Alex Dunkelmen?" she snapped accusingly as she turned me around and let me rest an arm on her shoulder to steady myself.

"I'm so sorry," Alex stammered, his voice cracking in worry as she hurried me over to sit on the bed. The old black woman hurried around, mumbling under her breath as she gather alcohol, gauze, bandages and medical tape from their various places in her office. Alex came and stood by me and as I looked up he seemed about ready to cry. I squeezed his hand comfortingly.

"Move, move," the woman scolded, brushing him aside as she put all the items down on the opposite side of the bed. "We've got to stop the bleeding." She snatched up some gauze and quickly pressed it to the back of my head. I cried out in pain and saw Alex stick his fist in front of his mouth. "Hold that there," she ordered him. Reaching out he did as told, only easy up slightly as I winced in pain. "Where's the injury report?" He handed it to her, smeared with blood and she frowned, walking into a separate room to read over it.

"This is my fault," Alex sighed, pulling the gauze back slightly to see if my blood had clotted yet. Apparently it hadn't as he quickly pressed it back down. I winced again.

"Hardly," I disagreed with him. "You were planning on doing socket puppets before all this." Now that I was less hysterical, I felt bad for snapping at him the way I had.

"I'm so fucking sorry, Hayley," he whispered, his voice tight. Reaching out blinding since my head was lowered, I found his hand and squeezed it again.

"I forgive you," I mumbled truthfully starting to feel a bit sleepy. Just then the nurse came back and shooed Alex away.

"Go back to class," she huffed, taking over as she switched out the gauze.

"What?" Alex asked, shocked. "You can't expect me to leave her-"

"As a matter of fact I do," she cut in, turning to glare at him. "She's had enough trouble today with your antics and all you'll do is get in the way here. You can come pick her up when your seventh period is over at the end of the day."

"I have an open seventh period," Alex said immediately. "Can't I just come back after sixth?" The nurse huffed in annoyance, lifting the gauze to check my head before lowering her hand slowly. The bleeding must have stopped.

"That's assuming she's even still here," she went on, tossing the bloodied bits of gauze into a bag and tying it up tight. "I might call her mother to take her home, or to the hospital."

"Home?" I asked concerned at the same time Alex asked, "Hospital?"

"Look, sweetie," she said, motioning for me to lift my head up at last. "At best you have a concussion, at worst a linear skull fracture."

"Fracture?" Alex asked, his voice sounding strangled.

"I don't have a fracture," I spoke up, shaking my head lightly. "I've had one before, this isn't that bad, I'd be able to tell."

"Are_ you_ a certified nurse?" she asked, obviously ruffled by my assumption. Again I shook my head lightly, not interested in giving myself a concussion if I didn't already have one.

"No, but really I don't think this would seem so bad if not for the cut," I said, sniffling slightly. I knew that head wounds bled a lot more than any other kind, and could sometimes seem a bit more serious. "And even if it was a linear skull fracture, those don't need any medical care, they heal over by themselves. But really I think at _worst_, it's a concussion."

She still looked bristled but decided to take it out on Alex. "Well you still have to leave," she snapped. The young man looked disturbed at the very idea.

"Oh, please, can't you just-"

"No," she cut across him, snatching up a cotton ball and the bottle of alcohol. "It's against school rules to let you stay here anyway and if she does stay here, she's going to need rest."

I shivered as she brought her hand to the side of my head. I knew the alcohol being rubbed against the cut would burn. When the cotton touched down I hissed, writhing in my seat but not daring to pull away. I squeezed my eyes shut as she began to wipe it now, not roughly but none too gently either. I opened them again when I felt Alex's hands come to rest on my knees. I looked up at him, and my heart went out to him.

He looked so insanely guilty. I didn't want to think what was going on in his head as he watched her clean away the blood, using cotton ball after cotton ball. I knew Alex was quick to blame himself when it came to me but really he'd done nothing wrong here. Brandon had pushed me, not him. Reaching up I touched the side of his face, drawing his attention. His big eyes turned down to me and I attempted to smile. It was cut off however as the nurse racked another bit of gauze over the wound, getting the last bits of blood.

"It's all over your neck and back, but I can't help you there," she said, honestly sounding regretful. "And I'm afraid I don't have any spare clothes for you either," she went on.

"I do," Alex spoke up then, not taking his eyes from my face.

"Do what?" the woman huffed, already passed the point of annoyed with his presence.

"Have spare clothes," he clarified, glancing at her momentarily as he pinched the sleeve of his long sleeve undershirt. "She can wear this." The nurse looked down at me as if to ask if I were comfortable with this arrangement. I nodded and she sighed, nodding her okay to Alex before pointing us to the door on the opposite side of the room. The bathroom.

Alex helped me slide off the tall table like bed and ushered me over to the bathroom. Switching on the light, he shut the door behind us and motioned to my hoodie and tank top. "I'll take them to your locker for you," he said, sounding a bit nervous.

I nodded my agreement before turning away from him and beginning to unzip the hoodie. Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed he had turned away as well and was currently pulling off his two shirts. I turned back around and let the hoodie fall to the floor. Reaching down I grabbed the edge of my tank top and began pulling it over my head. When it was just covering my face, I heard Alex cough and knew he had turned around. A blush spread over my entire body, and I yanked the top off quickly, wincing as it snapped over the back of my head.

"Want me to get the blood off your back?" Alex asked, his voice seeming to change octave every few words. Clasping my hands in front of me, I nodded jerkily, barely looking over my shoulder at him. He'd never seen me without a shirt on. Even with my bra on, I felt totally naked.

Turning my face back to the tiled wall, I twiddled my thumbs as I listened to him grab a few paper towels and turn the faucet on. I was somehow able to hold back from jumping when his hand rested on my bare shoulder. Unfortunately I couldn't hold back the shiver that racked my body when he pressed the wet paper towel to the back of my neck.

"You ok?" he asked, his voice no more steady than mine. I nodded, attempting to shrug my shoulders.

"It's cold," I muttered. He apologized before beginning to wipe down the area between my shoulder blades.

He scrubbed in some places where the blood had dried and used his nails to scratch at the bottom of my hair where it had caked it. I knew he could probably feel my heart pounding but he was nice enough not to make a joke about it at this point. When he finished, I continued facing the wall and listened as he tossed the paper towels away, taking a second to wipe a dry one down my back. Before too long he was holding his grey undershirt just in front of my face.

"Thanks," I murmured, taking it from him and rushing to slip in on over my head. It was warm and smelt like him. I liked it. I said as much as I turned to face his, and found him with his black shirt already on again as he appraised me. The shirt hung off my shoulders, the sleeves reaching way past my fingertips.

"You look cute," he said, leaning forward to kiss the tip of my nose. And just like that the awkwardness was broken and I laughed, waving him off. Bending down, I scooped up my top and hoodie before turning back to him.

"Whatever, I'm a hot mess," I said, moving passed him to open the door.

"Key word being hot," he teased, helping me back on to the table. I settled at the edge with him standing slightly between my knees. He leaned forward, resting his forehead against mine as he sighed. "I really fucked up this time," he mumbled, letting his eyes fall closed as he leaned against the table edge.

"No, I'm fine," I said, glancing at the nurses closed office door. "I'll be fine here til the end of the day."

"I don't want to leave you here," he said, frowning at me as he pulled away. I rolled my eyes, pulling him forward again by the front of his shirt.

"You have too," I told him seriously, starting to hand him my things. "You've got to go check on Bug and get the Condor costume."

"Fuck them both," he argued, leaning over me to rest his chin on my shoulder. I pet the back of his head lighting and kissed his shoulder.

"Go, I'll be fine," I assured, pulling away slightly to face the separate office. "Okay I'm done," I called to the nurse making Alex curse under his breath. She came from behind the door, barely sparing my new threads a glanced before she picked up more gauze and bandages.

"I'm going to wrap your head," she informed me, motioning me to hold the gauze pad to the back of my head. "In a few minutes, if you're not showing any signs of a concussion, I'll let you sleep."

The mention of sleep had me beaming at Alex who was watching her dress my head worriedly. She wound the bandages tightly over my hair, strapping the gauze in place. Finally she cut the end and secured it with a tiny metal hook. I blinked up at Alex, wondering how the bandages made me look. They must've made me look pretty ridiculous because he found it in himself to crack the smallest of smiles before leaning over to kiss the side of my bandaged head.

"I thought I told you to leave!" the nurse exclaimed as if just noticing he was still there for the first time. It was going on two o'clock and I knew she had other things to do than worry about Alex worrying about me. "Get to class!"

Alex looked down at me, his head tilted and I knew that if I asked him to stay, he would fight the school nurse tooth and nail to do so. As it were I just nodded and smiled up at him reassuringly. I could go for one class period without him. "I'm fine."

He looked unconvinced, and even shot a glare at the nurse before pulling me into a fierce hug. I could feel his face pressed to my bandages and I wound my arms tightly around his waist. "I love you," he breathed, kissing my cheek as he pulled away.

"I love you," I replied, lifting myself back onto the bed. He gathered my clothes and gave me one last kiss before heading towards the door. "Alex?"

"Yeah?" he asked, stopping with his hand reached out towards the handle. I could see in his eyes that he was hoping I'd ask him to stay.

"Don't tell Bug about this," I said thoughtfully. "Just act like nothing happened after he left the room. And bring me the hat hanging in my locker when you come back." His face grew troubled as he stepped back towards the bed. I heard the nurse grumble under her breath and suppressed a laugh.

"How am I supposed to keep this from him?" he asked as if I were crazy, holding my bloodied clothes up for me to see. I shrugged at him, not really caring how he protected Bug from the truth, just that he did.

"Just…fake it."


	4. For the Greater Good

_I was walking. I wasn't sure exactly where to but there was a feeling of urgency in my steps. It was dark out, but the smallest glimmer of light was shining through the trees that were just in front of me. I began to think that they= light was my destination and picked up my pace. The going was tough with twisted roots and the occasional rock jutting out to trip me up. I'd duck and weave under all the outstretched branches, fighting for balance, the light never seeming to get any closer. As a matter of fact it looked like it was getting further away. Diminishing._

"_No, no, no!" I called quickly, my voice echoing around me. I tried to double my efforts but that only seemed to push the light away further. "Wait!" But it was too light. The light was snuffed all together and I was left alone in the darkness. Reaching out, I steadied myself on a tree and tried to get my bearings. Where was I? This part of the woods was unfamiliar even to me._

_There was the sound of a branch snapping from my immediate left and I turned. Squinting through the darkness, I couldn't see anything, but at the sound of another 'snap' even closer to me I decided I didn't want to know. Turning to the opposite direction, I started rushing through the tree, lifting my feet up high to avoid falling. Still there was the sound of someone pursuing me. I began running._

"_Help!" I cried into the darkness, fists pumping at my side. "Alex!"_

_The noises behind me grew louder and fiercer as fear began to grip my heart. Whatever it was, it was gaining on me with little to no effort. I risked a glance over my shoulder just as my foot caught under an unusually high root. Pitching forward, I yelped as I landed hard on my face, surprise shooting through me instead of pain at the fact that I didn't twist my ankle or worse. Another branch snapped behind me, accompanied by the sound of a rasping breath._

_I whimpered, pushing myself up on my hands and knees pushing forward again. Leaves and dirt caked over my hands as I crawled across the forest ground. The heavy sound of footsteps suddenly began pounding in my ear. I tried to hold back from crying but by the time the sound was just behind me, my asks were shaking from the strength of my sobs._

"_No!" I tried to protests as the person reached down and picked me up by the arm. I fought against them, but it was obvious who was stronger. Finally deciding to just turn and attack, I faced my pursuer and gasped. "Jay?"_

_It was Jay, but he looked awful. His skin was pale and sickly looking and as I took a harder look at him, I realized he was soaked to the bone. He was wearing his clothes from the night before and I noticed that one of his shoes was missing. He was bruised roughly around the hairline and his entire body seemed to be a bit swollen as if he had…drowned._

"_Jay, w-what…what's going on?" I stuttered, twisting my arm so I could grasp his arm. "Jay, where were you?" He didn't answer, instead choosing to march me forward in the direction I'd already been heading. I let him lead me, stealing frightened glances as his pale eyes. I had no idea what had happened to him but given the option of wondering around alone and staying with Jay…I'd choose Jay. Despite our differences at times, I trusted him just as much as I trusted the others._

_We continued on in silence, Jay easing clearing any obstructions from our path by simply pushing through it. I was beginning to think he was just as lost as I had been when suddenly we cleared the tree line. I stumbled slightly as the terrain evened out. Glancing around quickly, I realized we were at the bank of the river beside the Ripper ambulance. A quick sweep of the area told me that my secret inner wish hadn't come true. Jay hadn't been leading me to Alex._

"_What're we doing here?" I asked dejectedly as Jay finally let go of my arms. He pointed off towards the bank instead of giving me an answer. I glanced nervously between the two before nodding slowly. Legs shaking, I advanced towards the water. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do, but once I reached the bank, I chanced a glance into the water. The inky blackness of it looked back at me, its surface too opaque to even show my reflection. Nothing happened._

_Shaking my head in confusion, I went to turn back to Jay to ask what I was supposed to be doing only to see something horrifying. I screamed as I took in the corpse of Penelope Bryte, leaning against the other side of the ambulance. Her dead eyes stared off into nothing, the wide tear in her throat continuing to spew a veritable river of thick blood. Hand over mouth; I backed up, water sloshing over my ankles as I back tracked into the river._

_I cried out as I tripped over something, landing on something soft yet firm which had been concealed just under the solid surface of the lake. Looking down I tried to control my gag reflex as I realized I'd tripped over Brandon O'Neil, who was lying face up, my weight keeping him from floating away. Turning to see what I had landed on, I picked up my sobbing once more as I saw that I'd landed on Brittany Cunningham, my hand pushing down on her face._

_I floundered, pushing myself back and farther into the river. As I did so, I dragged Brittany and Brandon in with me and their bodies began floating at the top of the water. Reaching out behind me, I tried to find something to drag myself back onto the bank with. When I finally grabbed onto something, I turned around only to release it immediately._

"_NO! JEROME!" I cried, as I watched my friend begin floating away from the force of my flailing. I couldn't find a way to control my sobbing now as my head began to sink beneath the surface of the river. Kicking myself back towards the bank I tried to rip my eyes from the horror of my piers floating lifelessly in the water._

_My head bumped against something, causing me to duck beneath it in surprise. Reaching my hands above me, I grabbed whatever or whoever this was and pushed them further outwards while using the momentum to break the surface again. I sputtered as I opened my eyes again only to snap them shut again as I saw Bug floating on his back, mouth twisted into a grimace of horror. "NO! NO, NO, NO, NO!"_

_This couldn't be happening, this couldn't be happening. I was still crying hysterically when I finally felt earth beneath me once more. Digging my nails into the muddy floor of the river, I dragged myself up onto the bank, my clothes made heavy by the water soaking me through. Gasping, I back out of the river much the way I'd backed into it. My foot had just cleared it when I fell backwards over a great lump of what I could only pray was earth._

_I laid there on my back for a moment, trying to catch my breath. I didn't want to look down at what had tripped me up. There was only one more person that could appear now. Slowly, and while crying, I pushed myself back onto my hands and turned my head slowly. I took in the soaked black t-shirt, the pale smooth skin, the defined jaw, the straight nose, and the curly hair that was Alex Dunkelmen. The scream that ripped through my throat was enough to shatter the darkness around me as my mind spiraled into insanity._

"NO! ALEX!" I screamed, back arching up and off the nurses table as I came to from my dream. I immediately tried to sit up but the nurse was by my side, forcing me back down.

"Calm down!" she grunted as I began to kick at her. My eyes leaked unstoppable tears as I tried to scratch helplessly at my own face. I was awake now, but the images were still flashing in front of my eyes.

"NOT ALEX! NO, NO PLEASE!" I begged, hysteria shaking my entire frame as the older woman attempted to calm me down.

"Hayley, listen to me!" she grit out, forcing me back down as I tried to get up again. I fought against her brutally, clawing at her arms as she attempted to stroke my hair. "Alex is fine! Do you hear me?"

"Alex," I groaned, flopping about the table like a fish out of water as my body convulsed in terror. "Alex-"

Her hand silenced the cry as she slapped me across the face. The sting was jarring and I finally went still, my head still turned to the side. I tensed for a moment before going limp and beginning to shake. The nurse was panting as she got off me, grumbling under her breath as she rushed to her office. Just as she disappeared from my hazy sight, the door to the nurses office burst open.

"Hayley?" I looked up as I saw Alex running towards me. He pulled me against his chest and I clung to him desperately. This nightmare had been the worst one yet. I continued shaking as he kissed anywhere he could reach, his hand moving comfortingly through my hair. "It was only a dream," he soothed.

"It was so real," my voice shook as I pulled away from him to look him in the eyes. "You were all dead and…and-"

He shushed me, pulling my face back to his chest as he helped me off the table. I brought a hand to my face as he turned slightly to dig into his back pocket. Murmuring soft words of comfort, he pulled out the knit hat I'd asked him to bring from my locker. He pulled the dark blue hat of yarn over my bandaged hand before cradling my face in his hands. I looked at him, still shaking but far calmer then when I'd woken up.

"I'm right here," he assured just as the nurse came from her office, a small bottle of pills in her hands. Alex took one look at it before pulling him slightly behind him. "She doesn't need those," he said forcefully.

"I think I should be the one deciding that," she growled, turning to look down at me. "These are sleeping pills. They should help you sleep without any night terrors-"

"She doesn't have night terrors!" Alex griped, ushering me towards the door. I looked up at him confused as the nurse tried to convince us both otherwise. Alex simply ignored her, and we walked out into the hallway. They were empty now and I guessed that it was finally 2:30pm. I knew this counted as insubordination and that Alex would probably be called into Pratt's office the next day.

The effects of my dream were beginning to wear off now and I slowly disconnected myself from Alex's side. In a small voice I explained what had happened in the nightmare. He was unusually silent, not meeting my eyes as I described Penelope's butchered body. When I finished, he explained how he'd been on his way to get me when he'd heard me screaming from down the hall. I tried to inquire why he'd been so adamant about me not getting sleeping pills, but he brushed me off eventually becoming annoyed at my questions and encouraging me to let it go.

I questioned what he'd done during his off period and suddenly he became sheepish. The guilty look on his face alerted me to the fact that Bug was not with us. I glanced around as if he were hiding before fixing Alex with a heavy stare. He confessed to the bit of spying he'd done in the Fang zone and regretfully told me about how Bug had been caught during his great escape from the girls' room. I berated him for possibly the hundredth time for putting Bug in such situations before settling down again. Really it wasn't as if they'd been peeping or anything. The principle couldn't get_ too_ mad at Bug, especially with what they knew about Fang now. No harm no foul, right?

"So where's Bug now?" I asked as we reached the courtyard outside the building where students were milling around. He nodded off to our left and I saw Bug sitting on a stone bench looking dejected. With a quick glance at Alex, I hurried over to the blonde teen and took a seat beside him. "Hey."

He jumped slightly before nodding at me. "Oh, hey, Hayley," he said shakily. There was a screech from overhead and we both looked up to notice a turkey vulture flying just above us. I shuddered, thinking of the injury hidden under my hat just as Alex reached us. He too was watching the bird.

"Connecticut Condor?" he asked somewhat playfully, turning to face us. I bumped Bug's arm with mine but he just shrugged, not finding the joke exceptionally funny.

"Turkey vulture," he corrected, wringing his hands between his hands between his knees. "You find Jay?" I thought back on my dream and shivered.

"No, it's weird, he always answers," my boyfriend replied, turning away to watch people exit the school.

"I saw him," Bug whispered then causing both Alex and I to whip our heads to face him.

"Where?" I asked uneasily, feeling like I wouldn't like his answer. He glanced at me sideways, hesitating for a moment before answering.

"In the boys bathroom mirror…he was in the river I think…"

"The river?" I asked perking up. "Like drowning? Was he hurt?" My own interest seemed to reassure Bug as he sat up straighter and turned slightly to me.

"He tried to say something, but he-"

"Bug," Alex cut him off in a gentle but firm tone. We both turned to him with wide, frightened eyes. "It's best not to think about your nightmares today…either of you." He added the last part while staring at me and I lowered my gaze feeling very childish. I had to get over this.

"It wasn't a nightmare…" Bug tried to convince us. I rested my hand on his knee in reassurance.

"Whatever it was," Alex clarified. "Look, all seven of us our on edge today…seeing the Ripper in all sorts of places." Reaching out, he offered me his hand and helped me up from the bench. I turned back to Bug now, giving him a sympathetic look as I saw the reason in Alex's words.

"It's like Brandon said," I picked up trying to sound cheery. "That's the way the cookie crumbles for you guys…just for today though." Bug stared up at us almost in awe before nodding and lowering his head. Reaching out, I brushed the top of his hair lightly, forcing a smile when he finally met my gaze. "Don't be afraid."

Again Bug nodded as I took my bag from Alex's shoulder. He would be walking home now while Bug went to go see the principle. Usually we would all go together but apparently nothing could go as planned on Ripper Day. With a gentle tug on my hand, Alex began leading me away and I couldn't help but look back at Bug.

"The Condor eats death for breakfast, Bug," I reminded, not pausing as he raised his head to look at me. "You're the Condor…don't forget that." He rubbed his palms over his jeans and I took this as a sign of understanding as Alex reminded him to call him after Pratt.

We exited the school with no trouble and were soon deep into the woods on the way to my house. It was silent going and I fidgeted slightly, Alex's shirt slipping off my shoulder constantly as I tried to catch his eye. I knew he got frustrated with Bug's silly antics sometimes, but I was never sure if he'd eventually get sick of me too. Lowering my eyes to the ground I tried to find something to talk about that wouldn't provoke some sort of argument. He was right after all. Everyone was on edge today. I felt it too even though I wasn't part of the Seven.

"I worry about Bug sometimes," I said out of nowhere. Alex turned to me, one dark eyebrow raised in confusion. I shrugged, trying to find where I'd been going with this statement. "It's just…with all this Ripper Day stuff I wonder if….well I worry if one day he'll find out the truth and be angry with us."

"Why would he be angry with us?" he questioned as we reached a slight hill. Again I shrugged, fighting off the urge to scratch the back of my head.

"Well wouldn't you be mad if the entire time I'd known you I'd known something from your past and just never filled you in?" I heard him make a scoffing sound and staggered slightly. He caught me and pushed me further up the hill before giving his reply.

"Not if it was that my biological father was a serial killer I wouldn't," he assured as we reached the top of the hill. My house was in few now and we slowed our pace. No need to alert my mother to our presence. "It's like you said, Bug's too innocent for something like that."

I nodded my head in acknowledgment of my own statement. "Maybe he wouldn't be though if everyone hadn't been sheltering him his whole life."

"You shelter him enough." I paused at the slightly affronted tone in his voice. Turning to him, I locked his eyes with mine and set my jaw.

"I do that because I have to. It's too late for me to come out with the truth now. You swore me to secrecy just like your mom swore you to secrecy."

"So you baby Bug because I told you to?" he was getting a bit sarcastic now and I knew nothing good could come from that. Shaking my head, I turned away and continued towards my house, my strides longer than before.

"You made me," I huffed, shrugging my shoulders at a loss. "You said that we could never tell him because it would-"

"Tear him apart on the inside, yes," he cut over me, overtaking me easily. "And it would so why do you want to tell him?"

"I don't want to tell him…" I tried to assure the both of us as my eyes darted at our feet.

"Well then why-"

"I just-!" I stopped, sighing heavily as I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. "I just feel bad for lying to him." This seemed to pacify Alex somewhat as he now rested his fingers beneath my chin to make me look at him. His dark eyes looked sincerely sorry for placing this burden on me and he leaned down to kiss my forehead.

"Don't think of it as lying," he chided, throwing his arm over my shoulder and pulling me forward once more. "Think of it as…with holding the truth for the greater good."

"Is there such a thing?" I mumbled as we reached the far left side of my front porch.

"What, with holding the truth?" Alex asked me, confused.

"The greater good," I corrected staring upwards. The image of my sad, lonely house made me think otherwise. What 'greater good' could there be for people like me and Alex in places like this. He looked at my house too as if reading my mind and I could feel the sigh building in his chest. It never came however as he turned to me and smirked.

"One day," he assured me. "With you brains and my wit? We'll make it out of here, no question." I searched his eyes for some sort of truth but all I found was blind faith. He_ believed_ this to be the truth…and that was good enough for me. Leaning forward, I wrapped myself around him and sighed as I felt him kiss my hair.

"I love you," I murmured into his neck, my voice a bit thicker than usual. As we pulled away, he gave me another smirk and brushed the side of my face with the back of his hand.

"I love you too." He glanced at my front door. "You sure you want to go in there?"

"You sure you want to go back there?" I countered, glancing in the general direction of his house. He snickered, leaning forward to plant a short kiss on my lips. When he pulled away we were both smiling and my day was beginning to look up.

"I'll be seeing you," he said smugly, beginning to walk backwards as I stepped up onto the porch.

"Not if I see you first," I challenged, trying to make this linger so that I wouldn't be left alone. No such luck though as he just laughed and turned to walk away, hands buried in his jean pockets. I watched him go, leaning against the side of my house until he disappeared behind some tree or another. With a sigh I head back towards my front door and let myself using the key I kept safe in my back pocket.

The door creaked open and I made a mental note to oil the hinges later. I took care of absolutely everything in this house right down to paying the bills. I don't know how my mom even managed to keep a job but she brought in the money somehow which was all I cared about. I made sure all the checks were mailed on time so that we had the luxury of running water more than two days a week. I did all the grocery shopping with spare bills I found lying around and I made sure we didn't drown in my mother's mess.

I glanced down by the door to see a pair of construction boots resting there as if they belonged. Sighing sadly I thought over the one secret I held from Alex. Throwing my backpack onto the hideous brown couch that took up our living room, I headed into the kitchen. Everything in our house was relatively old but the kitchen was the worst. When my grandmother had died, my mom had opted to just take her house with everything in it so all we owned was about as old as the house itself. We didn't have anything that was made after 1963 except for our clothes and a few electronics like my computer and our phones.

As I dug around in the ice box of our Frigidaire, I heard the pounding of footsteps coming down the stairs. I immediately straightened up and shut the ice box as the steps reached the ground floor and started towards the kitchen. I considered hiding for a moment liked I'd used to when I was younger but then thought of Alex. He wouldn't want me to run from my fears. He'd want me to face them…like a man. And so i squared my shoulder and set my jaw as the one secret I couldn't tell Alex sauntered into view.

"Well if it isn't my step-daughter," Quint slurred as he walked in the kitchen with a drunken sort of swagger. I sneered at him, inching around the opposite side of the table as he made his way towards the fridge. He had been coming around here for the last few months, screwing around with my mom and harassing me. I couldn't bring myself to tell Alex. Much like with the secret we kept from Bug, it would tear him apart on the inside to know that Quint was often lurking around my home while I was here. Sometimes even at night.

"I'm not you step-daughter," I huffed as he yanked the door open, digging around through the groceries that I had brought home.

"You might as well be from the way you're always hanging on that waste of skin step-son of mine," he snorted, not even bothering to look at me as he spoke. "Have you two fucked yet?"

"That's-" I was cut off by the sound of someone tumbling down the stairs followed by incessant giggling. My spirit dropped another tenfold as my own mother staggered in, clad in only under wear and an extra-large t-shirt that looked suspiciously like one of Quint's.

"Baby, come back to bed," she slurred, leaning against the doorframe, hair covering her face.

"In a second," the man grunted, finally turning around to face me. "So what is it with you and my son anyway?" he questions, wiping his nose on his sleeves. "What, he can't get it up?"

"That's not-" I was cut off by another outburst of giggling from my mom as Quint pushed himself away from the fridge and advanced on me. I began backing up.

"Is he a fag or something?" he went on, greasy hand sliding over the top of our dining table. My back hit a wall and I looked pleading at my mother who was only glancing back and forth between us suspiciously. Quint advanced further, stopping an arm's length away. Far too close for my liking.

"No-"

"Are you just a stuck up virgin?" he sneered, looking pleased as my face flushed red and my mother began giggling absently. "You know…" he moved his arm to rest on the wall next to my head. "I could fix that for you." I fought against my gag reflex as he breathed on me, but it was an uphill battle.

"Hey," my mom spoke up then, standing as straight as she could. "Why you wanna bother with her?" Stepping forward she slid her hands over the man's shoulders. "You've got me-"

"Would you shut-up," he snapped, bringing a hand to my throat now as my mother pouted. My eyes flew around the room now, looking for some sort of weapon, but he had me by the throat so it was pointless. Granted he wasn't applying any pressure, but he was too close to me.

"I'm better than her in bed," she whined on, reaching out to tug on the arm that was restricting me. Deep down I wanted to believe this was motherly instinct coming in to protect me, but even deeper down I knew she just wanted the attention.

"I said shut-up!" Quint yelled, releasing me so that he could back hand my mother across the face. She staggered back, falling on her side as I slid to the ground in shock and terror. "God you're so fucking stupid!" With force greater than either of us women possessed, he kicked my mom hard in the back, to which she curled up in the fetal position and began to moan.

"Leave her alone," I all but whispered as he brought his leg back to kick her again. He paused turning to glare at me over his shoulder. I shrank back, curling in on myself slightly as he just scoffed. Turning away, he kicked her again anyway before storming out of the kitchen. I listened to his muffled curses as he yanked on his boots by the door and didn't move until I heard the front door slam.

Almost instantly my mother burst into hysterical tears and I started at the noise. It was like a dying cat. Dragging myself to my feet, I approached her cautiously, not knowing exactly why she was crying. Most people would be upset with the fact that someone they were with had just abused them, but with her it was impossible to tell. When I reached her side, I crouched down again, resting a hand on her shaking back as she was still curled up.

"Mom?" I tested lightly. Abruptly with the sound of my voice, her crying ceased and she went still. I withdrew my hand, resting back on my haunches. "Mom?"

Without answering me, or even acknowledging my presence, she uncurled and picked herself up slowly. I could see from the way she moved that she was hurting and debated offering her help or not. She shuffled out of the kitchen, eyes not even glancing at me as I watched her go in confusion. I was so confused. Couldn't she see that? She'd just reached the first step to the second level of our house when I tilted my head at her.

"Mom, are you okay?" I asked out of honest concern. She was a bad mother…hell she was a bad _person_, but I still had a hope that one day she would clean herself up. That hope was momentarily ripped from my chest as she whipped her head to look at me. I gasped at the cold glare she was giving me; completely filled with hate and loathing.

"This…" she began, taking her foot off from the first step and turning fully towards me. "IS ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT!" I gasped, trying to back away as she suddenly started towards me looking fierce.

"No, mom!" I begged as she brought her hand down to slap me hard across the face. Reaching out, she grabbed a fistful of my bangs that hung down over my face and threw me to the tile. I cried out as she began kicking my repeatedly in the back much like Quint had done to her. As I curled my arms over my head I tried to hold back from crying for Alex. He couldn't help me now.

When she finally stopped her onslaught, my back was sore and I was shaking in fright. I listened as she panted heavily, her bare feet staggering around my head. I peeked out from behind the safety of my arms and watched as she leaned against the same wall I had been trapped against before sliding slowly to the floor. She sat there, staring into space and a bruise forming on her cheek. Our positions had been switched and i felt like absolute shit.

Uncurling myself from my protective ball, I winced as I used the table to pull myself to my feet. Not looking at my mother now, I staggered out of the kitchen, supporting myself against the wall. When I finally reached the stares, I was panting and out of breath as I gripped the banister. I paused, glancing back into the kitchen where the woman still sat looking lost.

"He's not even good to you," I said to the empty air in front of my face before dragging myself up the stairs. It hurt now and would for a while, but tomorrow when I went to school I would fake that it didn't…for the greater good.


	5. We're Ready

**Heads up, this chapter is why the story is rated M, I'll put little scribbles (~) to indicate the start and end of the graphic stuff for some of you more delicate readers. My first lemon so go easy on me! Carry on!**

My muscles groaned in protest as I dropped the last few feet to the ground below my window. I felt low, sneaking out like this after what Quint had done, but I couldn't stay in the house one more second. Not with my mother trashing the entire bottom level. I let my stare linger for a moment on my front porch before there was a particularly violent crash. I jumped, pulling nervously at the sleeves of Alex's shirt.

Glancing at the darkening sky, I turned on my heel and headed in the direction of Alex's house. I didn't have enough fingers and toes to count how many times I'd made this trek after getting a particularly nasty beating from my mother. Today's had been child's play at best, but it was the principle. She'd beat me after I'd tried to defend her against her boyfriend who had been in the middle of coming on to me. I don't know if it was even possible to add more insult to this injury. I felt completely broken.

I didn't bother wiping at my face as tears started to fall. Sniffling loudly, I imagined a life where none of this existed. No Helen, no Quint, no Ripper. No anything that brought me down or scared me. Just Alex and our friends. Sobs built up in my chest but I kept them in, not wanting to draw attention to myself – a fifteen year old girl walking alone through the woods at dusk.

I sighed heavily, dragging my feet through the brush as I thought back on my own miserable life. I wasn't one of those bleeding heart, woe-is-me types that thought they deserved better. I knew I didn't. I hadn't done anything especially great that would make it seem that my mother's treatment of me was _especially_ unfair. Unfair? Yeah. _Especially_ unfair? I wasn't so sure. Alex seemed to get far worse from Quint on a good day.

Alex. Now there was someone that deserved better. It was like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders some days. What with his mother gone and being the only member of the Riverton Seven that knew about Bug's father. It was no surprise he seemed so bitter. Bug got babied. Maybe not by his peers or even his own sister but people did baby him. He was the miracle child, the silver lining in what had been a terrible night of horror. He was considered special and everyone else, including Alex, paled in comparison.

Bug was the miracle baby while Alex was the orphan screw up. His mom had died leaving him not a cent to his name and nothing but an abusive step-father to remember her by. Alex had to deal with that, plus Brandon's bullying and worry about Bug on top of it. I felt like I only added more to his load but the one time I'd even suggested us breaking up he'd thrown a complete fit. It'd been scary. I never brought it up again. Plus it wasn't even like I wanted to break up with Alex. I didn't know what I'd do without the gangly sophomore. He was my rock, my safe place. I wouldn't make it one day without him cheering me on and giving me corny anecdotes to brighten my mood. He deserved so much more than what he got in thanks.

Heaving another sigh, I tilted my head back to take in the Dunklemen residents. Compared to this place, my house was a dump. Quint somehow managed to keep a study job and actually used that money to pay bills. Unlike what most therapists or shrinks would try to tell you, Quint was no drunk. He never slurred an insult or missed a punch. He was just a mean, cold hearted bastard for no apparent reason. The drinking just came as an extra. A cliché add on whenever he_ did _indulge in it. I hoped for the sake of my sanity that he wasn't home just yet.

Rolling up my too long sleeves, I approached the side of the house; eyes homed in on Alex's window. It was open, as usual and I quickly grabbed hold of the vines that crawled up towards it. It never occurred to me to wonder why so many of our houses had such easy access windows, but it wasn't like I was complaining. With a tiny grunt, I scurried up the vines, grabbing on to familiar branches and stepping in to practiced foot holes. I'd done this a thousand times.

Pitching myself through the frame was a bit more difficult and I ended up tumbling into the messy room quite loudly. Luckily, Alex almost always had a steady stream of heavy metal playing, so even if Quint was home, he wasn't likely to hear my entrance. Picking myself up from the ground, I surveyed what could have been my second room wearily. Alex wasn't here. It not for that fact that he hadn't been there to help me up, the lack of his back pack, shoes and jacket piled in the corner was indication enough.

I rolled my shoulders in a sort of shrug, reaching up to scratch the bandages under my hat. It wasn't the first time he hadn't been here, and I wasn't too worried about that fact. Just being in his room made me feel better, it was like his presence lingered. Moving to the door, I made sure it was locked before retreating to the bed. I kicked off my shoes as I was crawling under the covers. Alex's sent surrounded me and I grew calmer still. Taking a quick glance at the clock, I guessed that he'd be home soon enough, and settled down for a nap. He'd probably just gone to pick up Bug.

"_Hayley."_

_It started exactly where it left off. I gasped, lifting my head from my hands to find Bug staring down at me. He was soaked to the bone and his skin was blotchy and grey from floating in the river. His eyes weren't their usual innocent blue, but a cold, unforgiving black as he stared at me with no emotion on his face. Looking down at Alex's butchered body, I felt a shiver run through me._

"_Bug," I pleaded, hands shaking as I brought them down to my sides. "Bug, please tell me you didn't do this." He didn't answer, just tilted his head in confusion. I noticed for the first time that the shirt he wore was torn and there were long gashes running across his body. "Bug-"_

"_Don't cry, Hayley," he cut in now, voice sounding like it was being spoken over by many others. Like multiple people talking at once. But there was something else too. I blinked, trying to think if I'd really just saw what I thought I saw. Bug's eyes changing color in rapid succession. "He's inside me now." _

_I shook my head, not understanding what he meant as I moved to cradle Alex's head in my lap. "Bug, why-"_

"_They're all inside me now." My head snapped up as I recognized the voice of Penelope. But Bug still stood before me, clothes dripping moisture onto the leafy ground. His eyes, once black, were now a soothing blue. "With me." This time it sounded like Jerome speaking and the blue eyes clouded over. Blind eyes. I slowly began to move to my feet, setting Alex's head gently to the ground as I turned on Bug._

"_You killed them," I whispered, not daring to glance past him to the river below._

"_No I didn't," Brittany insisted through Bug's lips, icy blue eyes seeming irked at my incompetence. "Plankov did."_

"_Bug-"_

"_The Ripper did," Brandon's voice agreed, green eyes not leaving mine as Bug began reaching into his back pocket. My eyes widened and I began backing up, not wanting to see what he had hidden away. He'd killed them, he'd killed all of them. He was crazy. _

_I shook my head, tears again pooling in my eyes as I turned to flee. I gasped as I was met with Bug, staring down on me with deep, brown eyes. I sobbed, bringing a hand to my mouth as he rested a hand on my shoulder._

"_You don't have to be afraid," Alex whispered to me, using Bug's free hand to brush my hair back from my face. I nodded, wanting to believe him as I felt the hand resting on my shoulder fisting around something. Turning my head in confusion, I gasped as I saw the knife, VENGEANCE scrawled crudely across its blade. I didn't even have time to scream before Bug was grabbing me roughly by my neck and driving the knife towards my heart-_

"Hayley!" I gasped, coming out of the dream with a start. I immediately tried to sit up in the bed, but a heavy arm weighed me down, and as I struggled against it, the sweet voice from my dream came back. "Hayley, you don't have to be afraid! It's just me!"

Flinching, I turned my head to the side and found myself nose to nose with my boyfriend, Alex Dunklemen. I blinked, wondering how I'd managed to get his eyes absolutely perfect in my dream. He stared at me in confusion as I settled down slowly, my own brow puckered in confusion.

"A-Alex?" I tested, afraid this was another one of my sick dreams. He nodded, sliding himself properly onto his bed next to me. I wondered absently how long I'd been sleeping before he showed up. Glancing towards the window, I noted that the sun had gone completely down now, but that didn't say much.

"You were crying in your sleep," he explained, reaching out to run a thin finger under my eyes. I blinked in surprise as I realized that there was in fact a tear on his finger when he pulled it away. He let me sit up now and rubbed my back as I tried to clean my face on the shirt. "What was it this time?"

"Uh, Bug," I sniffled, rubbing at my eyes roughly. I felt his hand freeze on my back and sniffled again. "I dreamt he was the Ripper."

"That's crazy," Alex chided, sitting up now too. Glancing sideways at him, I rolled my sore eyes wishing I had a tissue to blow my nose in.

"Is it?" I quipped, not looking at him now as I recounted my last two dreams to him. "Abel Plankov was diagnosed with split personalities when he was Bug's age," I concluded nearly twenty minutes later. "Bug's already got the warning signs and now Jay's missing-"

"No one is missing, Hayley," Alex sighed, flopping back down on the mattress. As the springs bounced under us, I finally looked at him and frowned. He looked beaten down and beyond tired, his arm thrown over his eyes as he sucked in air deeply. Lying back beside him, I let my hand flit across his chest.

"I'm sorry," I muttered weakly. "It's just all this Ripper stuff…it's got me so…scared…" I trailed off when he didn't respond. I figured I'd pushed him far enough today and sighed, sniffing as I moved to crawl over him. It was clear I'd over stayed my welcome. I had just gotten one leg over him when he grabbed my waist. I raised on eyebrow at him, my hands resting lightly on his chest, ready to push myself off the bed.

"Don't you trust him?" he asked tiredly, eyes roaming over my body before settling on my face. I shivered.

"I trust you," I responded, bending forward so that I was settled down on his chest, hands resting under my chin. He grunted, rolling over and taking me with him so that we lay on our sides facing each other.

"Well," he huffed, moving his hand to rest on my thigh. "That's something."

I nodded, more interested in a specific curl on his head. All this talk was depressing and I didn't care for it anymore. Reaching up, I ran my fingers lightly through Alex's hair, biting my lip as my ring finger got snagged in a particularly vibrant curl. I noticed him wince as I tugged my hand away before I settled down again, hands folded safely beneath my head.

"Hayley." I looked up at him since I'd been staring idly at the pillow we shared. The look in his dark eyes made me catch my breath. I blinked as he suddenly pushed himself up onto his elbow, using his free hand to push my shoulder down so that I was flat on my back. Then with one swift moved, he leaned over me and our lips met.

This kiss was different from the others, and I could tell from the way he nervously placed his hands at my hips. Nervousness had never been his thing. Bringing my own suddenly shaky arms up, I wrapped them around his neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss as his tongue brushed against my bottom lip. I hesitated before parting my lips and feeling his tongue dart in to touch mine before retreating. Surprisingly enough, my tongue followed and soon I was tasting the inside of his mouth as well. It was nice to say the least.

The kiss grew more urgent and my legs bent automatically so that I could pull him closer, squeezing him with my knees. He made a small noise in the back of his throat, readjusting himself as his arms moved up so that he was cradling my shoulder blades, his fingers tickling the back of my neck. I managed a small giggle into his lips before he sat back, struggling to rid himself of his shirt. I helped him of course, flinging the article of clothing a bit forcefully across the room.

When he lowered himself back to me, I shivered with nerves as his long arms found their way beneath the shirt he had lent me. My teeth were practically chattering as he slowly began easing it off. He looked at me, head tilted as if to ask if this was alright. With a bit longer of hesitation, I nodded, lifting my arms over my head so that the shirt peeled off with ease. I was able to fight the urge to cover myself up by wrapping my arms around him quickly and bringing him back down to the mattress where the feverish kissing continued.

He smirked, moving his legs further up the bed so that he was bent over me, my legs wrapped lazily around his hips. His hands again moved across my shoulders, traveling downwards, tickling at my belly button until they reached the top of my jeans. There they froze and Alex pulled away. I chewed worriedly at my lip; eyes already staring down at were his deft fingers were poised to unbutton my jeans. We'd come this far before, but the pants had always stayed on. If they went now, there was no going back.

Looking up at him doubtfully, he just gave me a reassuring smile, pulling his hands away slowly. He moved them back up my body to cup my face and pull me into another kiss. He was going to let me off for now if I chose. Pushing him back, I tried to clear my head. It was hot. Looking up at him, I saw that he looked hurt that I'd pushed him away; his tangled head tilted to one side and his mouth hanging open. Dragging my legs from around him, I raised myself to my knees in front of him. Lips parted I tried to explain what I was feeling but nothing came to me. I loved Alex, really I did. And I finally felt ready. I just didn't know how to tell him.

Finally I figured showing him was better than telling him and lurched forward to capture his lips with mine, eyes sealed shut in the moment. The bed rocked dangerously, and we clumsily held onto each other to try and keep balance. Moving quickly so that I wouldn't second guess myself, I plunged my hands downwards towards his own jeans. I felt him shiver as I brushed my index finger beneath the edge of them before moving to quickly undo the button and yank the zipper down.

**(~)**

The gritty '_zzzip_' seemed to finally alert his brain to the extent of the situation [though the gentle poke my stomach kept receiving told me the rest of him was very much aware] and he began returning my advances in earnest. He moved his lips down to my throat again as I felt his hands at my jeans for the second time. This time he didn't hesitate, pulling the button apart and continuing the motion so that the zipper fell down as well. With that we went horizontal once more and I gasped as we landed on the mattress, him on top and me on bottom.

He helped me dispose of my jeans, pulling them down my legs painfully slowly. I was gasping for some reason, my heart picking up an extraordinary pace as I laid out in front of him. His pants went next and then we were both in nothing but our underwear. I could feel my entire body blushing and I was glad the sun had gone down and Alex had yet to turn a light on. He crawled over me, hands roaming shamelessly up my legs as I squirmed. I was nervous. An odd sort of heat had started to build up at my very center and as his hands moved further up I could feel it flowing all over my body.

Finally his hand reached my inner thigh just between my legs and my breathing stopped all together. He went a bit still as well, his eyes trained on his hand instead of me for once. I closed my eyes in bliss as he brushed over me, fingering the edge of my panties before dragging them down slowly. I tensed all over, body going warm as he_ looked_ at me. I was suddenly very glad to still be in my bra. I let out a shaky breath that I hadn't known I was holding as I felt the bed shift awkwardly. Daring to open one eye, both immediately flew open as I realized he'd removed his boxers. He was totally naked.

We both gulped at the same time, the sound magnified in the quiet room. I suddenly missed the constant flow of music as he positioned himself over me. I kept my eyes on his face, not wanting to look anywhere else as our eyes met. He gave me a nervous smile, his lips twitching in an adorable sort of way as he rested his full weight on me. I felt him pressed slightly between my thighs and gulped again. I could feel his heart racing where our chests touched and I felt slightly better at the fact that he was scared too.

"Um…" he stammered, brown eyes blinking rapidly as he watched me watching him. "Are you….ready?"

I thought how this question was a bit late in coming but then remembered that even if I changed my mind at this very moment, Alex would stop. He cared about me too much to rush me, loved me too much to hurt me. As I realized this I reached my arm to loop around his neck. He loved me, I loved him. I was ready. _We_ were ready.

"Yeah," I breathed, glancing down at him for half a second before meeting his eyes again. My heart wasn't racing so fast now, and if I focused, neither was his. Because we were ready. He nodded, albeit shakily, and brought the arm he wasn't supporting himself on to wrap under my back. I took a deep breath as I felt his tip at my entrance. That alone was enough to make my eyes flutter shut and make me bite my lip. "Alex," I breathed.

He paused, probably thinking I was protesting until he no doubt noticed the look on my face. He began pushing forward, sliding himself into me easily enough since I was so ready and my back arched at the feel of it. It was like nothing I'd ever experienced and I sucked in a quick breath as I hugged him closer, the warmth I'd been feeling starting to multiply. There was a moment where I had to wiggle a bit as I felt like I was stretching to suit him, but it passed as we both adjusted. Blinking my eyes open, I noticed he had a similar look to what I'd had moments ago on his face. His eyes were closed as he moved his head to rest on my shoulder. He pulled out slightly before pushing forward again. I hissed, wrapping my legs tighter around him as he thumped against something tender.

We both seemed to steal ourselves against what was coming next. I knew that it was going to hurt my first time so as he pulled out again slowly, I buried my face in his shoulder. Bringing my other arm up now, I wrapped it around his back so that he was totally supporting my weight. We both took a deep breath and let it out before he surged forward again and I felt a sharp sort of _tear_ at my center. I whimpered in pain, tightening myself around him, limbs _and_ lower regions as the feeling rolled over me. I was sure I'd felt worse but that didn't stop a few stray tears from leaking out.

"Hayley?" Alex questioned, setting me back down on the mattress. I hissed since he was still very much in me and the movement did not sit well. "Oh God, are you alright?"

"Fine," I huffed out, trying to fake that it'd didn't hurt, but I had to squeeze my eyes shut for a moment just to keep back more tears. The warmth was momentarily forgotten as I tried to see straight. Alex leaned forward, carefully to only move his torso as he rested over me.

"We can stop," he assured me, reaching up to brush a hand across my tear stained cheek. I shook my head in the negative, reaching up to grasp his shoulder. I had to soldier through this. I'd made a choice. Meeting his eyes, I was hurt to see him looking so distressed. This was supposed to be the happiest moment in our relationship.

"I'm fine," I assured, sweat having formed on my forehead out of nowhere. "Just…slowly," I pleaded, leaning back further into the pillows as I tried to relieve pressure. Alex looked skeptically but I shot him the most reassuring smile I could muster. I really wanted this.

Leaning forward again, he caught me in a bit of an awkward kiss. "Tell me if I need to stop," he ordered, looking serious as he finally pulled out to reposition himself. I nodded my agreement, placing my hands on his shoulders as I felt him at my entrance again. Almost as if counting to himself, his body rocked slightly before he pushed in again.

I breathed deeply as there was a tiny twinge of pain. I nodded my head again and he moved back before pumping in again. This time the twinge was even smaller, and when he again pushed forward, it wasn't there at all. I smiled in relief, feeling the pleasant warmth return as I bent my legs at the knees. When he pushed again I was ready and I heard Alex hiss as I dug my nails slightly into his back.

Soon I was feeling waves of pleasure sweep over me and I was rising to meet Alex's thrust which were coming in quicker successions. Both of us were panting slightly and I had to fight down giggles every time I let my mind wonder to long on what we were doing. The heat low down in my belly was building more and more and I threw my head back as I groaned Alex's name. His replies usually came in the form of low grunts and he kept his head rested on my shoulder as he drove into me.

I found myself humming in delight with every thrust and it wasn't long before hums became full on cries. It could've been hours. or minutes later, but suddenly I felt all my muscles tense as the warmth between my legs reached an all-time high. I arched my back, pushing up against Alex as I opened my mouth in a silent gasp. I felt Alex tense as well and he dug his fingers almost painfully into my hips as we both shuddered. I bit down on his shoulder to stifle my scream as I seemed to reach the peak of pleasure before tumbling over it. As I gasped in release I heard Alex groan my name before he shuddered again and presumably came inside me.

**(~)**

With a comical sort of 'huff' he collapsed on me. His body covering mine like a blanket as we both settled down. I smirked as pulled my arms from around his shoulders, both of us sleek with sweat from our little adventure. He breathed deeply, only slipping off and out of me once he'd caught his breath. Without his coverage, I immediately reached down and yanked at his sheets which were forever at a tangle at the foot of his bed. Dragging them up and over me, I buried myself further into the mattress, wincing as I turned onto my side. I was soar.

Looking over at Alex, I couldn't help but smiling at his exhausted form. I'd taken sex education and knew the first time could knock it out of anyone. The fact that we'd both climaxed made me want to give us pats on the back. Hanging out with Alex so long had obviously rubbed off on me. Leaning forward, I kissed his sweaty brow, dragging the sheet up to cover his lower half. I could still be modest if I wanted to.

He blinked his eyes open, the dark pupils seeking me out. We stared at each other silently for a time. It was like we were just realizing the sort of intimate experience we'd just shared. No matter where we went from here, we would always be each other's first and there for never truly forgotten. This idea brought me comfort as I sighed and pulled myself over to rest against his chest. His arms circled me slowly and I felt him rest his cheek against my head.

"Wow," he breathed after a short while. His voice was only slightly more hoarse than usual. I smiled, letting my eyes droop closed as I pushed my face to his chest. I was ready to just crash for a while. The soreness of my nether regions plus the now abused bruises on my back were beginning to take it out of me.

"Yeah," I agreed before yawning. My voice sounded a bit scratchy as well, maybe more so.

"I…I can't believe your hat stayed on this whole time." My eyes immediately snapped open and the hand I had been using to clutch the sheet shot up to touch my head. He was right. My trusty knit hat hadn't slipped from my head despite everything. It was still on there, blocking my bandaged head from view and I felt laughter bubbling up in my chest.

I let it out while smacking Alex lightly on the chest. I squeezed my eyes shut, hilarity taking over the heart felt moment as I rolled over on my back to laugh. I heard Alex join in but didn't get to witness the joy of his smiling face since I had to toss my own arm over my eyes. I don't know why it struck me as so hilarious but I couldn't stop laughing. I snorted as I felt Alex pull me to his naked body again and we laughed like that together for a while. Sweating and tangled in his sheets, happy as any two people could be.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry," I stuttered through giggles as I rested my hands against his chest.

"No, don't stop on my account," he chuckled, having reigned in his own laughter a lot quicker. I could see him watching me through my squinted eyes. He was supporting his head on his left arm which was propped up on the pillow we shared. He looked very amused.

"I-I don't know why that's so f-funny," I gasped, feeling a painful stitch start to form in my sides as I tried to fight off the laughter. This only seemed to add to the humor and I was soon trying to smother myself in Alex's bare chest, my laughter shaking the entire bed. Tears actually leaked down my face as I snorted again.

"Calm down," Alex huffed, feigning exasperation as he ran a hand down my side. I calmed slightly, a tiny flutter crossing my stomach at his touch. He ran his hand across my bare back and our eyes locked suddenly. Intimately. We were leaning together much like earlier when a whole new set of giggles burst forth from my lips. I buried my head in my hands as Alex sighed dramatically and flopped down on the mattress. "What now?"

"I w-was just-thinking," I rasped, clutching at my chest as I struggled for air. "'T-That's h-how we got into this position – in the f-first place.'" With that I totally collapsed into my laughter, letting the pleasant feeling of joy roll over me as my limbs curled to accommodate my now aching stomach.

Alex watched me roll around in his bed for a moment longer before shaking his head and drawing me back to his chest with an eye roll. I covered my face with my hands as he pulled the blanket over us now, tucking it all around my head as he settled into my side.

"You are so crazy sometimes," he teased, running a hand across the side of my face. Letting my dancing eyes find his own I had to smile even brighter. Just looking at him did it for me. Leaning forward on slightly shaky arms, I kissed him gently before settling down in his arms. He raised an eyebrow at me as I slowly but surely began to quiet down. Finally, just shaking his head, he yanked the blanket completely over our heads, signaling the time for rest.

**So that was my first lemon! Mostly foreplay, I know, but it was supposed to be there first time not only together but EVER so sorry to say it's not really going to be that much XD Well anyway, reviews make me smile and I'll try to finish soon! There's only one or two more chapters anyway!**


	6. Self Defence

I curled onto my side, facing Alex's bare back which was turned to me. We'd fooled around a bit before he'd finally fallen to sleep leaving me time to myself. I traced random patterns across his shoulder blades humming to myself, lost in thought. I thought over my nightmares and what they could mean for the Riverton Seven. I worried about Bug, Jerome, Jay and Penelope. A small part of me even worried about Brandon and Brittany.

My biggest concern was for Alex though. He was so care free and fool hardy that I had no doubt if something was going on, he would be too busy joking around to take it seriously. To take me seriously. As far as I was concerned, he was at the greatest risk because he just didn't know when to quit it. I sighed, brow furrowed in displeasure as I continued to scrawl across my boyfriend's back.

"If you keep doing that," he muttered making me jump. "Neither of us will ever get to sleep." I took my finger off of him, choosing instead to slap him lightly on the side careful to avoid the many old bruises that littered his torso.

"You big faker, you were just pretending to sleep," I accused, curling my arms towards my chest as he began to turn over to face me.

"Well I thought it would eventually turn into real sleep but then you started molesting me," he said cheekily, pushing his face further into the pillow once he had turned to me. He brushed a hand through my hair quickly before retracting it. He'd helped me remove the bandages from my head earlier and they now sat with my knit hat atop his bedside table. His own hair stuck up at angles odder than usual and I had to fight to keep my affronted face on.

"You could've talked to me," I said haughtily, scooting closer to his chest. He laid flat on his back and I rested my head over his right pectoral muscle. "I've been bored out of my mind." He chuckled, the sound vibrating through both of us as I threw my arm over him gently. The blanket was pulled up so that it was covering me from my armpits down but it only went up to his hips. We'd both pulled our underwear back on a while ago.

"I was hoping you'd fall asleep," he said softly, reaching up to massage to back of my neck. I hummed in content, eyes drooping as we fell silent again.

While I was under the impression Alex had been sleeping, I thought of more than just the Ripper. I thought about the big step the two of us had just taken in our relationship and in life. What we did could never be undone and I felt like there was a new dynamic here that needed to be addressed before things got too awkward. Lifting my head so that my chin was pushed to his chest, I looked up at Alex. His eyes were cast to the ceiling and he just seemed to be staring, not lost in any particularly important thought.

"What happens now?" I asked suddenly, tilting my head back and forth idly. My boyfriend blinked before turning his head down to look at me. A very cute expression of confusion was etched on his face. I smiled.

"What do you mean? With what?"

"With us?" I clarified. I felt the pull of his muscles as he moved to sit up and rolled off him. He propped himself up on his elbows, looking down at me where I curled into his hip.

"Why does anything have to change?" he asked through a forced chuckled. I shrugged, diverting my eyes.

"Well I just thought…not that we've-"

"Hayley," he interrupted, lowering himself down closer to me. "Nothing has to change if you don't want it to."

"Really?" I asked, trying to keep the pure relief out of my voice. It wasn't that I wasn't ecstatic about what had happened, but I didn't want it to mean that we had sex whenever we were given the opportunity. On top of that I didn't want any of our friends to know -not even Bug- so it couldn't change our behavior towards each other.

"Really," he laughed –sincerely this time- before lowering himself back to the mattress completely, body turned towards me. I sighed in relief and a bit of bliss, happy that nothing would change between us. Eyes trained on his chest as I began to trace vines over his heart, I smiled.

"I love you, Alex," I whispered earnestly. I felt his heart thump beneath my finger before he leaned down and kissed my brow.

"I love you too," he murmured against my skin. Everything was perfect.

The sound of the door being kicked open effectively shattered the perfectness of the moment as I jumped in surprise, immediately reaching out for Alex as he sat up straight in bed. Glancing around him, I gasped at the sight of Quint, swaying in the doorway. He was obviously drunk, but that didn't take away from the fear that swept over me. Drunk Quint was probably worse than sober Quint.

"What the fuck?" Alex hollered, pulling the blanket almost up over my head to cover me. I'd never seen him so livid, and decided the best thing for me to do was try to sink as far as I could into the mattress. "Get the fuck out!"

"What do you think you're doing in _my_ house?" Quint sneered as if Alex hadn't even spoken. I lumbered into the room, his eyes blazing with anger as he took in the two of us on the bed. "Did the two of you really think you could just fuck wherever you fuckin want?"

"What's it to you, fat-ass?" Alex hissed, moving to stand now. I reached for him, whispering warnings against this but he didn't listen. "This is _my_ house, not yours!"

Quint barked a laugh, eyes zooming over the room before landing on me. I cringed, fighting down a whimper as he seemed to get another burst of anger. Reaching out, he shoved Alex's TV off its stand and it fell to the ground with a loud crash as the screen was shattered. "What, did you suddenly grow a pair of balls, Dinkleman?"

I wondered briefly how he could still get his step-son's name wrong after all these years before deciding that wasn't what I should be worrying about. Moving slowly I tried to scoot to the edge of the bed. With luck I would be able to retrieve my clothes and redress under the cover of the bedding.

No such luck.

"You stupid little slut," Quint growled, starting towards me. I shrunk back only to lurch forward again as Alex stood in his way.

"Don't fucking touch her," he growled, looking up at the man angrily. My insides froze as Quint sized him up. He outweighed Alex by at least a hundred pounds and he was a bit taller than him as well. Quint sneered as he appeared to come to this conclusion before raising his fist and punching Alex square in the jaw.

"ALEX!" I screamed, sliding from the bed not bothering to grab the blanket to cover myself as I fell to his side where he had landed on the floor. His hand covered his jaw but I could tell he was muttering something, eyes squeezed shut it pain. I leaned closer, hands shaking as they rested on him. "What-"

I was cut off by my own cry off pain as Quint grabbed a fist full of my hair, yanking me up from the ground. I struggled against him, twisting my body around spastically, too afraid to kick out less I hit Alex. I shouldn't have bothered worrying though, since Quint aimed a swift kick to the young man's side as soon as he tried to sit up. I sobbed, hands also fisted in my hair as I tried to free myself.

"Let go!" I moaned as he pulled me close to his body. The stink on him was beyond what it had ever been and I held my breath as he brought my face up to his.

"You've been denying me for months and now you go and fuck this runt?" he asked, punctuating the sentence with another boot to Alex's back. I sobbed harder, hating seeing him in pain as he groaned on the ground, too weak to stand. "I always get what I want."

With that, he threw me violently onto the bed and my mind froze for half a second. I knew what this was. I knew what he wanted. He'd been hinting for months just like he said, but now I was at his mercy. My insides went cold at the thought until I felt the bed shit around me. My mind started up again and I tried to sit up, only to be held down by Quint.

"NO!" I screamed, kicking and punching at him as best I could. He held me down by my throat with one hand and with the other was quickly undoing his belt. "ALEX!"

"He can't help you now," he huffed, resting his full weight on me. I began sobbing with panic then, my legs being pried apart by his knee. He leered down at me and I reached out towards his face.

Placing them so that my fingertips rested on his would be hairline, I pulled down with a vicious cry. The pleasing sound of flesh being clawed by nails met me as I raked across his face, knocking his glasses down in the process. Quint hollered in pain. He pulled away, both hands now to his face to cover the angry red gashes I had inflicted. I pulled myself to the foot of the bed, tumbling off the edge as he cursed me from here to heaven.

"YOU STUPID BITCH!" he bellowed, still staggering backwards. I scrambled around the bed, hands and knees bruising easily as I crawled my way over to Alex. He was slowly pushing himself up again and I was quick to help him. Moving around to his backside I began trying to pull him to his feet.

"Come on, baby," I pleaded as he nearly fell again. Right when his balance seemed to find him again, I heavy hand grabbed me by the neck and threw me backwards. I screamed as I was thrown from Alex's room and onto the landing outside his door. I reached out, scared of falling down the stairs if I didn't grab the bannister.

When I steadied myself, I looked up to see Alex and Quint having an all-out brawl in the doorway. Quint obviously had the upper and hand and was making fine work of slamming his step-son against the door frame. I searched my brain for something to do, tears leaking down my face as I watched the boy I love get beaten down. He collapsed to the floor, chest heaving as he glared up at Quint.

"Thanks, Quint," he ground out through clenched teeth. "That felt-" The word 'good' was obscured by the sound of Quint's boot meeting his stomach. He coughed, lying a bit lower to the ground now as an idea finally came to me.

Scrambling to my feet I made for the stairs, ignoring Quint's warnings that he'd catch me. I wasn't running away –which is what I had to keep telling myself to keep from feeling guilt at abandoning Alex. I flew down the stairs that I had only used a few times, skidding into the main entrance way of the house. Turning to the left, I found the kitchen and quickly started ransacking every drawer within reach.

"Hayley!" I heard Quint yell. "Get back here!"

I cursed/sobbed, trying to keep my hands steady as I heard his boots start onto the stairs. The darkness of night and my blurred vision made my search a touch bit difficult. Reaching for another drawer I yanked it open, and what I was looking for slid directly to the front. Without letting myself think too much, I grabbed it and rushed back towards the stairs. I stumbled up them, nearly losing my balance as I came to the first landing before Alex's room. Quint had returned to Alex's side and was currently holding his head up by the hair, speaking lowly into his ear.

"Hey!" I called, drawing both of their attention. Alex looked angry that I hadn't just ran for it while his step-father looked amused when he saw what I held in my hand. The biggest knife in the kitchen flashed in my hand, catching the moon light that was filtering in through the windows. "Don't touch him."

Quint stood then, dropping Alex's head as he moved further out on the landing. He barked a laughed at me, his steps staggering as he did so. He gave me an incredulous look, eyes scanning me from head to toe in nothing but my underwear before landing on the knife again. "You don't have the nerve to use it," he challenged. My grip tightened.

"Don't touch him," I repeated, raising the knife to eye level. "I mean it." From the corner of my eye, I saw Alex begin to pull himself off the floor. I quickly focused on Quint, desperately trying to by Alex some time. "I'll slice you open like nothing."

"Please," Quint scoffed, stepping down onto the stairs. "I could kill you in a heartbeat." Glancing at Alex again, I saw that he was standing now though leaning heavily against the wall as he glared at the back of Quint's head. I settled my eyes on the man in front of me again. He didn't seem to notice.

"Do it," I challenged, flexing my fingers around the knife, faking that I wasn't terrified at the thought of dying. "You'll go to jail for the rest of your fucking life."

He opened his mouth as if to retort – and that's when Alex lunged. He yelled as he shoved Quint hard from behind and sent him sprawling forward. My mouth opened in a silent scream as the man fell head first down the stairs. His buddy tumbled and curled, limbs bending in odd angles as he fell. The sound was like thunder rolling across the house, odd cracks finding their way in every few steps. He never cried out though.

I pressed myself flat to the wall as he came to a stop at my feet, one arm hanging off the next set of steps, his legs still curved over the ones behind him. All were obviously broken. My brain registered Alex calling out to me but I couldn't process his words as I stared down at Quint. He was face down in the carpet, which was odd considering his torso was on its side facing me. I shivered, sliding down on the wall.

"Hayley, get away from him!" Alex hissed as I came to rest on my haunches next to him. I was reminded briefly of this afternoon before I pushed the thought aside. Hands trembling, I reached out towards him before retracting again. His chest wasn't moving.

"Alex," I uttered under my breath.

"Come back up here," Alex ordered, supporting himself on the bannister as he looked down on us. I didn't listen, instead reaching out to Quint and pushing his shoulder back. His body flopped over onto his back and my hand flew up to my mouth as I screamed.

His neck was twisted completely to the side, an odd crick jutting out from beneath the skin. His eyes stared back at me, wide and glassy. His mouth was open in a scream to match the horrified grimace of his face. I pressed the back of my hand over my mouth as tears welled up in my eyes.

"He's dead," I whimpered. "Oh god, Alex, he broke his neck!"

I cried harder as the sound of my boyfriend descending the stairs fell on my ears. I couldn't look away from Quint as Alex came to stand beside me, leaning over me to get a look at his step-father. He cursed, lowly at first before repeating himself at a higher volume.

"FUCK!" he cried, spinning away from the body as I my hands to my chest, feeling it grow tight in fear. I realized the knife was still clutched in my hand and quickly dropped it.

"We killed him," I wept, squeezing my eyes shut and hoping this would all just end up being a bad dream. "Wake up, please wake up…"

"This isn't a nightmare, Hayley, and _we_ didn't kill him!" Alex snapped, turning back to me as I shook my head in denial. "I did." This came out softer and I realized that he was taking the full blame. Finally ripping my eyes away from Quint I tried to reason with him.

"It was self-defense," I said, voice thick. "They can't do anything to you for that-"

"Who's gonna fucking believe me?" he whispered frantically as if suddenly his neighbors were listening in. I saw the panic seep into his eyes and did my best to ward it off from my heart. One of us had to keep an at least semi-clear head through this.

"We're both covered in bruises!" I argued, refusing to lower my voice. "That's proof he was being abusive and would've killed us if you hadn't pushed him. Plus you didn't know the fall would…" I trailed off, growing cold as it finally began to truly set in. I was sitting next to a corpse.

"Break his stupid fucking neck," Alex growled, running a hand furiously over the back of his head. He looked as if he were about to start pacing before he stopped himself. "We've got to get out of here."

"What?" I asked, in a whisper now. "That'll make us look_ beyond _guilty, Alex-"

"No, no, no, Hayley," Alex cut in seriously, crouching down to grab me by my upper arms. I snapped my mouth shut at the look in his dark eyes. He wasn't going to argue this. "For once just listen to me…go get dressed. Now." He shook me slightly to emphasize each word.

I nodded slowly, eyes wide in something that almost could have been fear. When he released my arms, I struggled to my feet, turning away from him slightly so that I could pretend I didn't see him offering his help. With one last look at Quint and a long side glance at Alex, I started up the stairs, supporting myself on the wall. The walk felt like it was to my death instead of to Alex's room. How could this have happened?

The tears kept running down my face as I quickly began pulling on my jeans and my borrowed shirt. I kept the sobs to a minimum, not wanting Alex to hear them and grow more frantic. This was like a nightmare I knew I would never wake up from except in this Alex wasn't dead, Quint was. I should've been ecstatic, but I couldn't bring myself to feel that way. We had killed someone, another human being. A disgusting human being, but still he was dead now and nothing we did would bring him back. I brought my hand up to cover my eyes for a moment as I hiccupped. I just wanted this night to be over.

I jumped as a hand rested on my shoulder, but when I turned it was only Alex. He still looked panic stricken but the hardness in his eyes had vanished and he looked at me in what I assume was supposed to be a comforting matter. With a sniffle, I flung my arms around his neck and buried my head into his still bare chest. He pet my hair as I shivered and whispered encouragement to me. I was hardly listening.

When he pulled away, I sat on the edge of the bed and waited for him to dress. He did so quicker than I and then grabbed my hand, pulling me up off the mattress. The ring I gave him only that morning flashed in the moonlight and I blanched. I couldn't believe he had to go through this on his birthday. Following him out of the room, I did my best to keep my eyes to the wall as we descended the stairs. When we reached the landing Quint was on, we simply stepped over him, not bothering to move or cover him in any way. We just wanted to get out of there.

When we passed through the front door, Alex left it ajar and I realized he wasn't planning on coming back. Ever. This was the last he'd see of the house and he didn't even look back as we hurried into the surrounding forest on the way to the house of the one person we could trust. I spared a long look over my shoulder at the house. All the lights inside were out and with the door hanging open the way it did, it looked completely abandoned and lonely. I squeezed Alex's hand tighter, keeping close to his side as we reached the tree line, not bothering to fake my emotions anymore.

I was afraid.

What would happen to us?

**Sorry it took so long to update and honestly the only reason I'm getting to it now is because a reviewer on my YouTube channel asked me to :] Preview for this up by the way!  
Didn't think the scene with Quint would take so long but it did, so it looks like this story still has a chapter or two yet, and then an epilogue of course :] Now I know some people think Alex lied about what happened to Quint, but I thought it would be interesting and easier for my story if he really did just break his neck. Hope everyone liked this! Review!**


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